Love Should Never Die
by Maddz2
Summary: As Jack tries to leave Angelica on some beach, her feelings get the best of her. She does something she could regret for the rest of her life. When she finally fixes her mistake, they run into many more problems with close friends and old enemies. Together will Jack and Angelica be able to overcome them, or will they be torn apart forever? JackxAngelica
1. Chapter 1

**A/N This my first fanfic story, so please don't hate me. I have tons of ideas, and I feel that this story can go very far. I got inspiration from other writers, but all ideas expressed are my own. Also, I promise to finish this story, because I know how upset it makes me when someone starts, and it gets really good but they never finish. Please review **** I **** would love to see what you all think. (I know this chapter is short, and boring but it gets better)**

**Also I don't own anything that has to do with POTC.**

* * *

Her eyes slowly opened as she tried to remember what happened before she passed out. She remembered watching Jack row off in his dinghy, but everything after that was a blur, she assumed she had passed out due to the heat. She got up and couldn't believe that she was left standing on a small desert island in the middle of nowhere in the Caribbean. She said she loved him and his still left her. What was she thinking, she knew that he would still leave her, and yet she told him anyways. That was not even the worst of it, because now he knows her, very likely, only weakness; himself.

She shuddered at the thought, and quickly pushed it out of her mind. She strode up the beach and managed to walk around the whole island in what she guessed was less than half an hour, but she did not really spent time paying attention to the sea or her surroundings. She wandered through the trees until she felt something odd under her feet. She had remembered what Jack told her before he left, that this island was a well travelled trade route. She then realized it could only be one thing. A hidden cache of rum and hopefully other supplies. She quickly found the handle to the door and opened it. Low and behold there it was, crates of rum and dried foods. That was enough to keep her alive for a while she thought. She had been there for probably five hours just drinking rum although she hated it, and pacing around yelling Spanish curses at the sea; she only wished Jack could hear them. It started getting dark so she sat down on the warm sand with yet another bottle of rum, and let the wind blow through her tangled brown hair as she watched the sunset on the horizon. It was not a rather beautiful sunset she thought to herself, the sky had not appeared to change from the light blue to purple as it sometimes did. It had simply gotten dark. After a few minutes she lied down, and quickly drifted to sleep.

"Jack" She pleaded as she looked from her cut hand back into his dark brown eyes that seemed to be filled with fear. He had to find the chalices. "Bloody Spaniard" he whispered under his breath as he desperately searched for the chalices. He needed to find them, he would not let himself stand by while the one person he truly ever loved died in front of him. No, he couldn't bare to think of it, and he could not let it happen. He searched for what seemed like too long, knowing very well what would happen if he didn't magically find them in the next few seconds. Then out of nowhere, Serena, the beautiful mermaid appeared in a pool, very near to him, holding none other than the chalices he needed. For some reason he was momentarily transfixed by her beauty, and the shear mystery upon her arrival. However, he quickly snapped out of it as she told him not to waste her tear, and he knew he most certainly would not waste it. He rushed to what was left of the fountain, got the water and the tear and tricked Blackbeard into accidentally saving his dearest Angelica.

* * *

Although he had just saved her life, she hated him. She had to. He had killed her father, even though he saved her from death in the process, she overlooked that detail. As he rowed her to the island she came up with a plan to get revenge. She had managed to get loose of the ropes he tied her in and now had to wait til they got to shore. He picked her up and tossed her on the beach, along with a pistol. Perfect, she thought. She soon realized that he already knew she had untied herself, so after her idea to hit him over the head failed, she had to come up with something quick. As he started walking away she told him of the secret treasure to rule the wind and tide, she lied to him about being with child, but she then did something that neither of them really suspected. She told him that she loved him, and in shocked response, he said he always had and always would love her too. They leaned in slightly, and she expected to kiss him. But then he started running towards his little dinghy.

"JACK" She yelled after him.

That was it. That was the last straw for her, and she was not going to let him leave her on this beach. She quickly snatched the pistol he had left her, aimed and fired. The shot rang through the air, and no sooner than it had, she heard Jack, who was sitting in his dinghy, let out a loud groan of pain.

He keeled over gasping for breath.

What had she done?

She quickly swam out to the dingy that wasn't too far away, and climbed in. She lifted Jack's head onto her lap, and put pressure on the bloody wound to his chest. She looked down at him with fear filling her eyes, and a few tears streaming down her cheeks. She had not wanted this. She usually wasnt that good at her aim. With what strength he had left, Jack lifted his hand to her face and wiped some of the tears from her eyes. "Here's to revenge, sweet and clear" he almost whispered as he grinned up at her, knowing very well this could be the last time he saw her.

"Shh. You will be alright" She pretended to sound confident as she put on a fake smile for him.

"Not this time luv" he said with as much volume as he could muster, as he glanced slightly at the hole in his chest, and at the blood on her hands. She leaned her face close to his so that her lips barely brushed his cheek as she whispered the last things he would hear from her "I love you Jack Sparrow". She started crying, more than she could ever remember.

"I love you too Angelica Teach, and I believe there should be a captain in there somewhere" He said knowing those would be his last words, he chuckled slightly and closed his eyes for the last time.

"NO! You can't die! You are Jack Sparrow!" she sobbed resting her head on his chest.

* * *

Her eyes quickly snapped open, and found herself gasping for breath. That was one terrible nightmare, she thought to herself hoping that was all it was. She was slightly distressed at the notion that the nightmare had been the most vivid and realistic dream she had ever had.

* * *

Even though it was still dark, she decided to take a short stroll around the island to clear her head. When she stood up, she realized that she had a piercing headache, and oh did it hurt more than anything else. As she walked she noticed the large amount of empty glass bottles, that she assumed used to contain rum. She knew she was alone on the island, and that she hated rum, but she had a bad feeling that those bottles were the cause of her headache.

She slowly made her way around the island, but as she got to the opposite side she stepped on something odd lying in the sand. "Ow!" she yelled, not yet realizing what she had stepped on. She decided to sit down to examine the item that had hurt her foot. It was a pistol.

There were no bullets, and no gun powder. She remembered Jack throwing it at her after he tossed her onto the beach, and she could have sworn that he left her with a pistol loaded with one shot in it.

Although her foot was already better, because of her migraine she decided to sit there a while longer. She looked longingly at the sea for what seemed like hours but was probably only twenty minutes. As the sun started to rise, the sky had quickly gone from a fading dark calm blue to blood red. This was a rare occurrence that almost everyone, including Angelica herself, took as a bad omen. To some it meant that a large amount of blood had been spilt. Others believed that when the sky was red in the morning, someone had died before their time. It also was a sign of a great storm that was approaching over the seas.

Angelica believed somewhat in all of those rumors, and although she always seemed to be none superstitious in front of other people, she knew she was alone and could not help but wonder if any of the stories were true. As she contemplated the validity of the rumors, she scanned the horizon looking for any signs of the "well traveled trade route" Jack had claimed was not far from here. Her eyes came to rest on a strange object that appeared to be floating just off shore to the West.

She wondered how she could have missed it before, but then realized that with her eyes transfixed to the sunrise in the east, and that it was still dark when she would have first walked in sight of it, it wasn't really that hard to believe. The object wasn't that far away from the shore but she couldn't decide what it was. Soon she found herself so full of curiosity about that mysterious object that she took off her boots, her jacket and her hat, and waded into the water. As she got closer she realized what it was.

It was a dinghy.

She wondered why it was here. She climbed in not paying attention to anything but rowing it back to the beach. As she got out she noticed some patches of red on her white shirt, and checked herself to see where all of this blood was coming from.

She soon got her answer as she looked back into the little dinghy with fear in her eyes. All of the color quickly left her face as she realized it was him.

Laying there as pale as porcelain with a big hole in his chest where he had been shot. She backed away as fast as she could for she could not bare to look at him any longer. She made it about twenty steps away before she collapsed with grief. Tears poured out of her eyes, and she was helpless to stop herself. She had lost the only person she had ever loved, and she found no comfort in thinking of how he wronged her so many times. She couldn't stay mad at him. She would never know what her life could have been with him and now she was truly alone. She couldn't even kill herself because of that man. The fountain of youth prevented her death, and she knew that she had just entered the boundaries of hell as she now had no one and life without Jack forever would be true torture for her.

She just couldn't figure out what had happened. What actually happened? She couldn't remember.

The last thing he remembered was looking into the fearful eyes of Angelica, along with the sharp pain in his chest. A warm feeling suddenly came over him as he closed his eyes. He sat up wondering what happened to the pain. He stood up but he felt strange. He looked down only to see himself underneath a very upset Angelica. "Thats interesting" he stated. He expected her to look up at him any second, but she never did. He was shocked at the sight of the wound in his fleshy chest. He thought he looked bloody awful. He had not quite understood yet why she was still crying, he was standing right next to her. Then it hit him. He was … He dared not even think the word. It could not be. He refused to believe it, but what other explanation did he have. He was 'Captain Jack Sparrow' he couldn't die. But he had, and now he was stuck between the worlds of the living and whatever was next. He had no idea. He never had believed in an afterlife or what have you. He did however know that he was not leaving Angelica, or his body for that matter.

* * *

Soon she got up, tears still flowing down her cheeks. She jumped off the dinghy into the shallow water and swam to shore. He followed close behind knowing that she couldn't hurt him now. She sat down on the opposite side of the island and hoped she could forgive herself but she knew that she never could. The sun was very bright that day, and she did not have any water. She did not even make an attempt to find some to replace what she had lost to her tears. She wanted so much to die at that moment.

"Why did you have to save me?" she questioned out loud. "Why couldn't you just let me die so I would not have to live without you now? This is all your fault SPARROW!"

He had decided to sit next to her as she was rambling on. He knew it was his fault. He so desperately wanted to hold her at that moment, to dry her tears and to comfort her. But he knew that he could not interact with the living.

"Wait" he said out loud still knowing that he couldn't be heard. "I can't talk to da livin, but what bout the dead or da undead?" He knew who he needed at that moment. "William Turner" He declared. His old friend, captain of the Flying Dutchman would be able to help him. He also realized that young Mr. Turner would not be long now for it was his job to take Jack's soul to the next world. He then looked down to Angelica who had stopped talking by then. He wished she would sit in the shade so she didn't faint from the heat and dehydration. However, he knew that her stubbornness would not allow her to move. Just as he thought that, Angelica fainted and fell onto the soft sand, knowing that she would not wake up for a few hours he decided to take a look around the island. He had to do something to help her, but he didn't know what or how. He couldn't interact with her, but perhaps he could try interacting with objects. He made his way into the shaded area where he knew of a rum cache.

* * *

"Of course" he sighed, hating how he couldn't open the door. He hoped she would find it when she woke up, but the thick layer of sand covering it made that seem rather doubtful. He was leaning on a tree nearby when he had an idea. If he couldn't move large things, he could try moving small things, sand for instance. He quickly sat down next to the covered door. About twenty minutes later, after trying to brush the sand away, and trying to kick the sand away, he flopped over and exhaled, tired of being a ghost. As he did this he noticed some movement in the sand next to him. He suddenly realized he could blow the sand away. He continued until he had uncovered a portion of the door so that if she stepped on it she hopefully would notice what it was. He went back over to her and sat down. All other thoughts left his mind to completely adore her beauty. He was just content to sit there and watch her sleep.

* * *

The next day, she woke up apparently not remembering what had taken place the day before. He followed her all the way around the island, and then into the shade hoping she would find the rum cache. She did. She seemed to be so full of anger and rage that he was almost happy that she did not know he was there. He was quickly disappointed in what came next. In her anger she paced back and forth drinking as she went and every so often she would yell out some profane language in spanish, no doubt directed at him. "If only you could see what you have done to me Sparrow!" she would occasionally, and every time his response was "I can see luv, and I am terribly sorry that you don't know that." She had probably downed at least 4 bottles of rum by the end of the day, and was working on a fifth by the time she sat down to watch the sunset. He couldn't watch her self destruct anymore so he walked in his feminine fashion away to the other side of the island. He sat down and just watched the dinghy that was still close to shore. Knowing the his body was inside, he hoped it would not float away. He watched the sunset which he thought was very disappointing, and soon fell asleep, if thats possible for ghosts.

Jack woke up as he felt a strange sensation on his chest. It was Angelica standing right on top of him, but of course she wouldn't know that.

"Would you mind getting off me luv?" He asked as he stood up next to her. He followed her gaze over to the red sky. He had little idea what it meant, although he had a bad feeling about it. Her gaze then shifted over to what he knew was his dinghy, but she must have forgotten when she blacked out the other day. She seemed to be transfixed by that elusive object floating just off shore. Suddenly, he knew what she was going to do and he could not watch.

"Stop I say! I will not let ye put ye self through all those tears again." He tried to stop her, but of course he was powerless to do so since she could not see or hear him. She walked right through him as she prepared to swim out to the dinghy.

He knew it would take her a few minutes to retrieve it so he paced back and forth along the beach so he could keep an eye on her. When she stepped onto land he couldn't help but be curious about her reaction when she realized it was him. He saw her eyes fill with sorrow, fear, and anger as she began to cry. He wished could speak to her, to tell her everything was going to be ok.

As tears jerked at his eyes, he watched her back away from the small boat and collapse to the ground a few feet away with tears streaming once again down her beautiful face. "Its all ok luv, please don't cry" He whispered with his lips brushing past her ear as he kneeled behind her.

To Jack's surprise, Angelica lifted her hand to her ear as if she could feel his presence there.

"Don't worry luv, I'm still with you" Jack whispered again, but closer.

"Jack?" She whispered aloud questioningly as if he could hear her, but her knowledge and beliefs would not let her maintain that fiction and she became suddenly angry. "So now I've gone mad, hearing voices of people who are gone forever, thinking that he is right behind me when in truth no one is here but me!"

"Yer not going mad Angie, I'm still here" he whispered again.

"Now surely I must be in hell!" She yelled her face red with anger and sorrow as the tears kept falling from her eyes, causing Jack to step back from her, his ghostly heart aching at the sight of her.

"You think you are in hell, luv" he almost chuckled at that. "No dearest, it is I who is in hell now." He sighed knowing that they were both experiencing a similar fate, except he didn't have any rum to drink away his feelings and memories with where as she did. "Lucky spaniard" he grumbled under his breath, not that it mattered she couldn't hear him anyways.

Not sure what to do Angelica tried to gain her composure, before making her way to the other side of the island once again. She had not the strength nor the courage to push Jack's dinghy back into the water, so there it stayed. She still did not know what happened to him. Or who had killed him. She needed to know. What she also needed was a way off that island, and perhaps if she escaped she could search for answers to her questions. Little did she know that she would not have to worry about escaping that dreaded island much longer.


	2. Chapter 6

Certainly sailing the seas for eternity had its perks, but none of them was good enough to make him want to continue. For with his freedom came his duty to ferry souls to the next world if they decided not to join his crew first. The worst part of his job was being so far from the ones he loved. It was a hard life for young Captain Turner, but he had no choice, for the Dutchman needed its captain and he could not go ashore but once every ten years.

Every time someone died at sea, he would have to go convince their soul to accompany him to the next world. It was what he considered to be the worst part of his job. The people who had died often wished to stay with the ones they loved, although they could not interact with them. Others wished to stay around to haunt their killer for all time. It was rare when he came across someone who was willing to go with him.

* * *

Captain Turner usually enjoyed watching the sunrise as it reminded him of his dearest Elizabeth, but this morning was different. The sunrise that morning had intrigued him particularly, the sky had turned blood red and he knew that someone had died who was not supposed to. He barked orders at his crew telling them to make sail, he had some lost soul to find. He only hoped it was not someone he knew, but for some unexplainable reason he had a feeling it was quite the opposite.

Will didn't need a compass or a map to know where to go, he knew that this person had been killed off the coast of Sola Fida Island, which happened to be a near a well travelled trade route. Lucky for him he was not that far away, and it would take him only a few hours since the Flying Dutchman was almost a match in speed for the Black Pearl.

* * *

His bad feelings continued as he neared his destination, he feared that this would be a troublesome task for him.

The waves broke around the Dutchman as she surfaced again a few hundred meters off the island. Captain Turner was surprised to see a small dinghy floating offshore as well, but his gaze quickly shifted when he say two figures on the small island. He made out one of them to be a woman who seemed to be weeping, and the second to be a man with a pointed hat on, kneeling behind the woman attempting to comfort her. He could not believe this. Who here needed him? No one appeared to be dead. He could usually tell who it was, but he could not see the face of either person here cause he was too far away.

"Lower the long boat!" He ordered.

"Aye sir" replied a crew member.

Although he could not go on land, he needed to get closer to see who these upset people were. As he got slightly closer to shore he found himself once again wondering who this guy was, and why this woman was upset. Looking through his telescope again, he studied the man.

"You've got to be joking" He stated, clearly not amused when he realized who the man was. He couldn't help but wonder why Captain Jack Sparrow was here of all places, and who this woman was.

* * *

He got as close to the land as he dared, and yet only a few feet off the shore the upset woman still hadn't noticed him. That was however not the case with Jack who had seen him and started walking towards him.

"Well if it isn't the infamous Captain Jack Sparrow" He called out jokingly, "What are you doing here old friend?"

With that the woman now took note of his presence, and lifted her head in his direction. He still did not recognise her though.

Jack had not yet answered him, but the look on his face suggested that he was not in a good mood.

"Jack Sparrow! What are you doing here?!" He called out again. Jack stopped and turned around whilst wondering if he should answer yet. Jack was more curious about Angelica's reaction to Will.

Angelica stood and walked briskly over to Will with an upset and confused look on her face.

"Who are you talking to?" She asked with an angry tone in her voice.

Will not sure what she meant by that, he thought it was obvious that he was talking to Jack.

"I'm sorry miss, but I was talking to Jack Sparrow, I take it you know him quite well" he said to her as nicely as possibly, although he was getting irritated that Jack had still yet to answer him.

"Hey Will, be careful what ye say to her, she is in quite a mood at the moment." He spoke in a friendly tone.

"Don't you dare talk to me about Captain Jack Sparrow!" She almost yelled at him, her face red with anger and just as she has stopped crying she felt tears running down her cheeks again.

"And why is that I wonder? I mean he is standing right there." He said looking and gesturing towards Jack, who at those words was waving his hands everywhere in front of him as if to signal that Will had said something he shouldn't have.

"Uh oh, ye shouldn't have said that mate" Jack said looking slightly concerned.

Suddenly, the Spanish woman took a few closer,to Will who was still in his little boat. She had a shocked expression on her face which made Will completely confused.

"Don't be stupid! Jack Sparrow is dead! He was shot a few days ago!" She spoke with such force in her tone that Will was afraid to talk to her anymore.

"Oh. I understand now. I'm so sorry miss I meant no offence" He pleaded for forgiveness.

He had no idea what to do now. Then Jack walked over to the woman who was once again crying and tried to hug her knowing very well that he could not.

"Angelica, please stop crying! I cannot watch you like this anymore it is too painful, so I command you to stop at once." Ignoring Will's presence again Jack spoke to her, even though he knew she could not hear him.

"Miss Angelica is it? Why don't you come with me aboard my ship?" He offered, hoping she would stop crying soon.

"How do you know my name?" She inquired, still uneasy of this strange man.

"I am a friend of Jack's and he spoke of you often" He lied about the second part, and as he said it Jack glared at him.

"What did ye say boy?" Jack said still glaring at him. Will ignored him, and returned his attention to Angelica.

"You were friends? I didn't know he had any. And if you really are, then tell me who you are." She was determined to know who he was. Jack was hurt by that comment, he considered himself to have many friends.

"Captain William Turner is who I am, and my ship the Flying Dutchman is right over there. Would you like to come aboard to rest and get cleaned up?" He offered her once again, hoping that she would accept and they could get back to the ship as soon as possible.

She nodded and climbed aboard the longboat. Will signalled for Jack to join them. He dared not speak to him again in her presence so he needn't meet her angry self again. Jack quickly got in and sat next to Angelica.

**"**Wait, what about Jack? We cannot just leave his body here." She said still drying her eyes.

"Aye, ye can't leave me body here Will, ye must go get me, or send someone to" Jack said to him, and he nodded.

When they reached the ship Will ordered two of his crew to row out and bring Jack's body back. Will helped Angelica aboard and showed her to the spare cabin below decks where she could rest.

"Here you are miss Angelica, and if you need somthin let me know" He truly wanted to make her feel comfortable. She nodded as he left and returned to his own cabin followed closely by Jack. This was going to be an interesting conversation, he thought to himself.


	3. Chapter 7

"Took ye long enough to get here, eh Will?" Said Jack playfully as he walked into the room.

"What happened to you Jack?" Will asked questioningly as he reminisced about all those near death experiences that Jack had but had never died from. Who could possibly have killed him? Does he know? Having never completely died himself, he didn't know how much about his death Jack would remember, because depending on who, how, and the other circumstances of his death he may not remember anything or he could remember everything. He just looked at Jack in complete wonder.

"Apparently I was shot and killed, and now I am here" Jack said unenthusiastically interrupting Will's thoughts. "And what of you Will? What have ye been up to?" Jack continued.

"Oh, not as much as you might think Jack, only ferrying lost souls like yourself to the other world." Will stated, and no sooner had he said them did Jack look towards him with a look Will had never seen in his eyes before. Will figured it was fear. Jack was still wondering the cabin looking at Will's stuff glancing up occasionally, whilst Will had sat down and just watched.

"Who killed you, Jack?" Will desperately wanted to know, because whoever this sorry excuse for a person was, he was going to kill them.

"Hmm...now isn't that the question of the day." Jack said, and gave a slight chuckle at his own comment.

"Do you remember? Who was with you? What were you doing? Why were you on Sola Fida beach? Jack, if you want my help you have to remember." Will said sternly making Jack stop what he was doing and approach Will.

"I do not in fact remember. Obviously, I was in that dingy, and with Angelica. I do not remember why we were there, and I do not remember what happened after we got there. I only remember last seein her face before I turned into..this!" He almost shouted, flailing his arms everywhere.

"her" Will had completely forgot that Angelica was still aboard.

"Aye, what 'bout her?" Jack asked curiously, but was left unanswered as Will stood and left the room. Jack followed him to what he hoped was not Angelica. He had no desire to see him make her upset with an interrogation.

* * *

"Do not speak to that woman!" Jack spoke warningly behind Will. "I doubt she can answer yer questions anyways." Will stopped just outside the door to her cabin.

"Why shouldn't I talk to her, she may want to talk about it with someone. And seeing as you can't stop me, you can't answer my questions, and there is also the fact that you can't talk to her, I will talk with her. But I will need you help to make her remember." Will said too loudly, seeing as they were right outside her room.

"Ok, if ye are gonna talk with her, be careful what ye say. She is dangerous when provoked." Jack warned.

"Jack how dangerous can one woman be, and plus neither of us can die so what can she possibly do? Ok lets.." Will was interrupted by the door suddenly opening behind him. He knew then that she must have heard him talking, and in her perspective it would have seemed like he was talking to himself.

He quickly turned to face her. "Hello Angelica" He said warmly. "How are you feeling?"

"Who were you talking to?!" She demanded in her less than friendly tone.

"Uh...I was talking to my first mate" Will tried to be convincing, but it was hard when she was glaring at him.

"I do not believe you, what do you want?" She said unsure of his intentions.

"I want to know if you are ok, and if you can answer my questions." Will said trying to look as calm as possible.

"I'm completely fine, why do you ask and what do you want to know?" She spoke confidently, although looking quite the opposite.

"Its just that….uh… in light of recent events I thought you may want someone to talk to. You seem to have had deep feelings for Jack, and right now I think you need some help." Will said not knowing the consequences of what he had just said, he just looked over to Jack who was standing next to him. He looked back to Angelica, whose expression had changed from curiosity to fiery anger. She took a quick step towards him, and slapped him hard in the face. Will raised a hand to his sore face and looked to Jack, who was chuckling at what she had done.

"Ye shouldn't have said that mate. Ye need to be more careful, if she gets much more upset she will rip your head off. Step back slowly." Jack said warningly as he and Will both took a step back.

"Sorry miss, I don't know what went on between you and Jack, but please help me to understand what happened to him, he was one of my best friends" Will said shifting his attention back to Angelica.

"How do I know you were friends and not the person who killed him" She said, her face still hot with anger from his previous comment.

Will was getting irritated by this woman more and more by the second, and now he had to find a way to convince her that he was friendly. He turned his attention towards Jack, and gave him a pleading look to give him some ideas, but knowing he could not talk to him in front of her, he hoped Jack would get the idea.

Jack had stopped paying attention, when he soon realized that they had stopped talking. He turned to Will, who was giving him a pleading look.

"Oh um, somethin that only me friends know, uh…" He could only think of one thing, but he didn't know if she would believe him. Damn, he thought to himself, but he wanted answers more than he cherished his ego. "Damn woman" he muttered. "Tell her, that I...um.. tell her I...uh… Damn...tell her I luv her." He said looking very unhappy with himself.


	4. Chapter 8

**A/N I would like to thank user, Gracie's Jar Of Dirt, and a guest, for their reviews which were very nice, and had an influence on the events in this chapter. I hope I wrote it out well. **

"What?!" Will asked Jack not even thinking about the fact that he said that out loud.

"How do I know I can trust you?" Angelica asked him, not sure why he was confused.

"Oh, Jack spoke of you often. He told me that he loved you. He would often imagine what his life would have been like with you by his side." Now Will was just exaggerating, and by the look on Jack's face he decided that he should just stop there.

She looked blankly at him. Was he telling her the truth? Had Jack really told Will that he loved her? She needed more proof.

"I'm still not convinced, anyone could make that up" She said once again with an angry tone.

Jack's eyes fell when he realized she didn't believe Will. He stepped behind her and put his arms around her waist, even though she couldn't see him, just standing behind her made himself feel better.

"You remember that I've told you that before, don't you sweetness?" Jack whispered as his lips brushed past her ear, hoping that she could sense his presence like she had before.

"Jack... don't leave" She whispered whilst instinctively lifting her hand to her ear once again as if he were actually there. She snapped out of it. She knew he wasn't there.

Meanwhile, Will watched in amazement of how jack could make her feel his presence there. But, he was tired of standing there, so he grabbed her arm pulled her into her cabin and sat her down on the bed whilst he went and sat on a chair across from her.

"What do you want from me?" She asked forgetting what he had said earlier.

"Tell me what happened before Jack was rowing you to that island." Will said, wanting to know every detail. She didn't know what it was, but the strange feeling about Jack that she had earlier made her want to tell Will everything in hopes that he would be able to make things better.

She began with their meeting in London, leaving out a few 'minor' details. She told him about their trip to the fountain of youth which seemed to have him intrigued.

"The one legged man used a poisoned blade, and since my father had be stabbed by it, he needed the fountain, I told Jack to let me save him, but he wouldn't. He killed my father! The only family I had left was taken away by Jack!" She said with both anger and sorrow in her voice. "but now he's gone too, so I have no one."

At this, Jack jumped up "No no no. Will, that is a lie. I saved her life, unfortunately at the expense of her father whom, she decisively left out, was none other than Blackbeard, aka Edward Teach." Jack growled, angry that she didn't appreciate this decision he had made for her, the decision without which she would not be here. "And I am still here! I have not left her!" He continued in his angry tone. Will could tell Jack was angry now, besides for the tone in his voice, he had almost an aura around him.

Will knew that when ghosts became angry or otherwise emotionally distressed, they could sometimes have an affect on things like the room temperature, or they could become visible for a few seconds at a time. This was not good he thought. The room suddenly became very cold, the lanterns that lit the room went out, and it became almost completely dark, at this Will immediately got up to light the lanterns again knowing that Angelica may not like the dark.

"Calm down" He ordered in a harsh whisper while glaring at Jack, so Angelica would not hear him.

"Would you like a blanket or something Ms Teach, you look cold" He asked her when the room was lit again. She nodded as he got up and left the room. She was alone once again, or so she thought.

Jack was still angry as he paced around the room.

"How could ye say that!" Jack was yelling now, for he could not believe what she said. "I saved yer life, and if I hadn't ye would not be here!"

Angelica looked up. The color rushed from her face. Could it be? Was that Jack yelling from the other side of the room?

She could only hear some of what he was saying, but she knew it was his voice. She heard 'How could you' and 'I saved your life'. She was shocked.

She stood up about to walk over to where she saw him standing, when he turned around to face her. He looked into her eyes, and with that all the anger left him.

He saw the fear and horror in her eyes that made him want nothing more than to hug her. She saw him. He was just standing there with that stupid grin on his face.

"Come here, luv" He said calmly. She started walking cautiously over to where he was standing with his arms out as if he was going to hug her.

But, the closer to him she got, the harder it was for her to see him, and when she stood where he had been, he was gone.

"Jack?" She whimpered, the tears streaming down her face again.

She sat down right there in the middle of the floor, not wanting to move, and she kept crying. Jack, not really sure what just happened, did not want to see her cry anymore, but he could not stop her. He kneeled down in front of her. He hugged her, resting his head on her shoulder, while his hand rubbed her back in an attempt to comfort her.

"Don't cry anymore, luv, ol' Jack hasn't left ye yet." Jack whispered.


	5. Chapter 9

Will returned with a blanket in his hands, but he dropped it when he entered the room and saw Angelica crying on the floor, with Jack close by her side.

"Ms Teach are you okay? What happened?" He asked her, even though he had a feeling he knew what it was.

"I thought…I thought I saw…No I didn't, I must be going crazy" She mumbled, tears still rolling down her cheeks. Will walked over to her and put the blanket around her shoulders as he helped her back over to the edge of the bed. When he sat next to her, she put her arms around him, and cried into his shoulder. He wasn't sure what to do, he had not had much experience with upset women before, since he had not been around Elizabeth in years.

"Shh...It will be okay. You aren't going crazy" He spoke softly whilst trying to think of a good way to tell her that she had actually seen Jack.

Jack sat in the chair across from them, jealous that he was not the one comforting her. He knew she had hugged Will because he was the only one there, but he couldn't even look at them.

"I miss...him … so much.." She barely could barely say it through all of the tears.

"Everything will be ok, you are not going mad, you are safe here" Will said, hoping she would take comfort in his words.

"Will, you have to make her stop crying, I can't take it any longer. You must make her stop. Talk to her. You have to find an easy way to tell her that she did actually see me and she's not going crazy." Jack spoke softly with a depressed tone that made his words hang heavily in the air. Will could only think of one way to tell her, but as he had seen earlier, she had quite a temper and he was afraid to face it.

Here it goes, he thought before he decided to speak.

"Jack, how am I supposed to tell her that? Are you crazy?" Will said to Jack over the muffled sobs of Angelica. "Jack you have to help me, she will only stop crying if she knew you were actually here." He continued, and with that Angelica lifted her head, looking confused at his words. It didn't sound like he was talking to her, but rather about her. Jack stood up, not quite sure what Will was doing. Didn't that idiot know he shouldn't talk to him in her presence?

"Will what are you doing? and How can I possibly help you?" Jack asked eyeing Will questioningly.

"I'm doing exactly what you said Jack. Trying to convince Ms. Teach, here, that you are not gone forever, and that there is a way to bring you back." Will said still holding Angelica.

She couldn't believe this. She pushed herself away from Will, and coincidentally in the direction of Jack. He stepped behind her and put his hands around her waist, wishing that he could actually hold her again.

"Don't lie to me!" She warned Will "Why should I believe you?"

"Well, you obviously won't trust my word, but perhaps I can show you." He suggested. "Wait here with Jack, and I'll be right back." He told her, giving Jack a glance as he walked out.

Jack was still holding his arms around her as if he could keep her there, but he couldn't. She walked right through his arms and sat back down on the bed. Her mind was filled with questions. Was Will telling the truth? Was Jack really still in the room with her? Could he really be brought back?

He had not been gone more than a few minutes, when he came back through the door interrupting Angelica's long line of questions. He held a small item . It appeared to be very old, but not that valuable. How could this little thing help her?

"Here it is, I am quite sure you have seen one of these before" Will said as he handed it to her. She took it cautiously, and soon realized what it was.

"A mirror? How is this going to help me?" She questioned him. Jack sat down right next to her, in the hope that she would use the mirror sometime and see him.

"Just hold it up in front of you" He instructed. She did as he said, but only saw herself. Will gave her a look suggesting it was obvious, as he slightly turned the mirror to show the Jack next to her.

"Jack?!" She yelled, as she jumped up, not sure if she believed what she saw. Jack got up as well and stood right behind her.

"ello luv, long time no see, eh" He said sweetly, even though she couldn't hear him still.

She watched him standing there behind her, his lips moving as he spoke. "Why can't I hear him?" She said turning to Will.

"Well, unfortunately the mirror can only let you see the dead, not communicate with them." Will sighed. "He said hello just then, incase you were wondering. And also, he can hear everything you and I can, so feel free to speak to him, just remember that he can't answer at the moment"

Now that she knew Jack was there Will was not looking forward to being a messenger between them. So he decided to leave as fast as he could before she asked him to speak for Jack.

"I have to go give my crew a heading, I'll be at the helm if you need me." Will said as he walked out the door leaving Angelica all alone with Jack.

"Mr. Turner, we have a friend to save. Make way for Cuba." Will yelled to his father.


	6. Chapter 10

What was she supposed to say? He couldn't answer her so she couldn't ask him anything, so what now? She had no idea what to do. If she was actually going to talk to him, she would need Will, but she was fairly certain that he wouldn't enjoy that. She just wanted Jack back to his human self. She would do anything for him to be able to hold her in his arms again.

"I've missed you, Jack" She said sweetly. She held up the mirror and watched a smile appear on Jack's face.

"I know, luv" Jack said pointing to his eye, then tapping the side of his head, hoping she would understand. She understood, but she wished she could hear him.

"Jack? Do you know who killed you?" She decided to ask him, cause if he knew, she would find out eventually and kill the sorry bastard who killed him.

"No, luv, I don't know" He said shaking his head. She sighed, wishing that she could remember what happened. She must have known who killed him, but she just could not remember.

"I'm going to ask Will where we are going, and how we can bring you back" She said walking out of the room. Jack followed close behind her as she approached Will who was standing at the helm.

* * *

"Will, where are we going?" Jack shouted to him from behind Angelica.

"We are sailing for Cuba" Will responded plainly. Jack stopped walking. He knew what was in Cuba. His face twitched at the thought of their destination. Angelica saw his expression in the mirror, and became suddenly concerned for she knew that Jack was not fearful of very many things.

"Cuba? What's in Cuba?" Angelica asked confused.

"The Pantano river is. There is a building that used to be home to the sea goddess, Calypso, while in her human form. She had a book that contains the ritual to save Jack" Will answered watching Jack cringe at his words.

"Will, what in hell is going through yer mind?! I am not stepping one ghostly foot in that abandoned shack. I've heard it be cursed, and all who enter are afflicted with a fate worse than death itself" Jack expressed with an upset tone.

"Jack calm down, we are going, unless you don't want to live again?" Will asked, not understanding Jack's apparent dislike for that place.

"Of course I do, and don't think I don't, that place just creeps me out, and I don't want anyone to get hurt as a result of the curse, ye cannot let her enter that place!" Jack said motioning to Angelica as the person he would not like to see hurt.

Angelica was still standing there only hearing Will's side of the conversation, but she was watching Jack. He appeared to be talking again and making a large assortment of hand movements. He looked distressed, and she wondered why.

"What did he just say?" She demanded, while still watching Jack who had since stopped waving his hands and was now standing still, just looking at her.

Jack glared at Will hoping he would get the message and only repeat the first part, cause if she knew that he didn't want her in there she would make a point to go in, and nothing would be able to stop her. Will returned the look, and decided to go against it.

"He said the place we are going to was cursed by Calypso herself. Also, that he of course he wanted to be human again, and that he forbade you to enter that place in fear of your safety.

"You said that did you, Jack? Well, you know me enough to know I can take care of myself. And you can't exactly stop me now can you?" She knew that would make him upset but she didn't care, and she didn't need him to worry about her for no reason.

"He can't, but I can. And I will. You are not going into that building. Jack is." Will stated making it clear that she was not getting her way this time.

"Will, I already told ye, I'm not stepping in that cursed place. And incase you forgot, I can't exactly pick up anything. What are you thinking?" Jack was confused, knowing what the curse really entailed.

"Jack, you are going in there if you want to be human, and while you are there I will watch over Angelica for you. Sound fair?" Will countered trying to reach a solution.

"Will, neither I nor ye, nor her can step in that place. The curse is that if ye enter, the one ye truly luv will die b'fore yer eyes, and if they already be dead, ye will be forced to relive it" Jack spoke gravely, his word hung in the air. Will suddenly didn't know what to say, he could only think of Elizabeth and how he would not be able to live if she were dead, and he figured Jack felt the same way.

"Lower the anchors!" Will shouted to his crew. They all stared at him. "Do it now! Lower the anchors!" Will continued to shout, his crew now running to drop anchors.

They were now stopped in the middle of the sea.

"What are you doing, we have to get there so we can save Jack!" Angelica yelled to Will who was now staring blankly at the sea around them.

"Jack, come with me. Angelica, stay here, or go back to the cabin. I need to speak with Jack." Will spoke sternly, turning to walk away.

Jack quickly followed Will to his cabin so focused that he didn't realize Angelica was following a few steps behind.

Will shut the door behind him, knowing that Angelica had probably followed them.

She had a feeling that it would be a long time before she would see them again., so she sat down against the door hoping that she would be able to hear what Will was saying to Jack.

"Jack! Why didn't you tell me this before?" Will almost yelled, while Jack just sat down apearing to be calm.

"Well, I didn't think it was relevant." Jack shrugged.

"Not relevant? No one can go in there! Not you cause of Angelica, not me cause of Elizabeth, and not Angelica cause of … wait?" Will had an idea, but he knew Jack wouldn't like it.

Angelica who was still outside, heard what Will said not sure what he was thinking but she knew it had to do with her. That isn't good, she thought to herself.

"Ohh no. No no no! Ye will not use her. Ye can't let her go in there. Ye know what she was like earlier. I can't make her go through that again, and neither should you." Jack was now angry, he could not stand the thought of her having to watch him die again. The tears and the pain it had caused her was too much for him to bare.

"But Jack, we need to know who killed you! And if she truly loves you, then she should be willing to watch you die again if it meant bringing you back. Of course it would be painful to watch, but the information it gives us could be useful. Please, she may be your only hope." Will said pleadingly hoping not to upset Jack further.

That was it, she couldn't listen to the one sided conversation anymore, she knew she had to do what Will suggested to Jack.

Just as Jack was about to reject Will's plan, he heard the door open behind him. Damn Spaniard, never knowing what is best for herself. Ugh, he thought.

"I'll do it for Jack" She said bravely, even though the idea of watching him die sent chills down her spine. Jack walked up behind her as she held up the mirror to see his expression. He was upset, and she could tell.

"Jack, I'm doing it for you, don't worry, I'll be fine." She tried to convince him.

"I don't think ye should, luv, who knows how pitifully awful my death was? You shouldn't have to re live that." He said looking at Will to tell her.

"Oh um, he said the he was against you going through with this, and he didn't want you to relive the pain again. And he mentioned that he didn't want you to see how pitiful he was when he died." Will said hoping these words would not deter her.

"Oh, Jack. I love you, and if I don't do this for you, then I may never see you again. Do not ask me to live without you" She was almost crying again, but she forced herself control emotions in front of him.

"Shh, its okay luv" He whispered softly, seeing the tears she was fighting to hold back. "I love ye too no matter what happens, and if ye are set on doin this for me, then all I ask is that ye be careful." He looked to Will again, who now was sitting and not really paying much attention.

"Will, tell her for me will ye?" Jack said after a moment of silence.

"Oh, yeah sure Jack." He mumbled, then turned to Angelica "He said he loves you no matter what, and he wants you to be careful" Will said softly trying to sound as interested in the conversation as possible.

"Its settled then, when we arrive, you, me and Jack will row over to the house, and I will go in and get whatever it is that we need to save Jack. Then you will probably have to row us all back Will, as I will probably be afflicted with the curse by then." She said hoping that her plan would work. She needed this plan to work. She would not spend the rest of her life without Jack.


	7. Chapter 11

"We will be arriving soon" Will told Angelica who stood solemnly next to him at the helm. Jack was standing at the bow, watching the land in front of them appear to grow as they steadily got closer. He kept remember how much Angelica had been crying earlier, and he grimaced at the thought of having to watch her go through that again. He could not deny that he was worried about what was going to happen.

Back at the helm Angelica was worried as well. She was hoping that what they needed wouldn't be hard to find, because she wanted to spend as little time in that place as possible. Then it dawned on her that she didn't actually know what she was looking for.

"Will, it occurs to me that you have not said what it is that I need to find. What is it?" Angelica eyed Will with a puzzled look on her face.

"Ah yes, you will need to find the book of rituals. It is fairly big, and old so it should be no trouble finding it. You will also need to find the Ouija board and planchette so Jack can speak to you. And last but not least, we will need four candles. We will need all of that if we intend to help Jack." He said as her expression changed to that of fear and dread for what was soon to come. "Also, I think the ritual requires Jack's original body, so we shall have to wash the blood off him, and store him somewhere cool." Angelica grimaced, not wanting to even look at Jack's dead corpse that was stored below decks at the moment.

* * *

"Drop anchor, and lower the longboat!" Will commanded . "Mr. Turner, you are in command until we return"

"Aye, sir" Mr. Turner responded from the lower deck.

"Jack, its time to go make you human again! Get your ghostly self over here, hurry up!" Will yelled to Jack who was still lost in thought at the front of the ship. Jack didn't hear Will, but he knew the ship had stopped moving forward and realized it was time to go. He turned and walked slowly over the the small boat.

"Angelica, are you ready to go?" Will asked her with a hint of concern in his voice.

"Yeah, lets get this over with" She said with fake confidence as they both got into the boat.

* * *

Will rowed them up the river into the ominous jungle. He remembered the last time he was here with Jack. It was not something he enjoyed remembering, since it was right after Jack had been eaten by the kraken and everyone was depressed, and at that time he was hardly speaking to Elizabeth. He was happy they had gotten over that, but he still didn't like thinking about it.

While Will was rowing and clearly deep in thought, Jack was sitting across from Angelica. He was content to just watch her, hoping that after this was all over he would be able to hold her in his arms again.

Angelica was just sat there. She didn't know where in the boat Jack was, but she could use some comforting about now, cause she was starting to feel sick just thinking about what she was about to witness. She pulled out the mirror that she had brought with her and angled it around so she could find Jack. And there he was, sitting right in front of her, a smirk appearing across his face as he watched her with that mirror. He moved to sit right next to her, so she would not have to sit with her back to him in order to see him. He put his arm around her shoulder, and leaned his head against hers. She smiled, feeling a bit better since she could see him and know for sure that he was there for her.

"Thanks Jack" She whispered, still smiling at him.

"No problem, luv" He whispered in return. They were both so busy looking in the mirror that they didn't even realize they had stopped moving. They had arrived.

Not wanting to ruin this moment between them, Will kept quiet, knowing that he would want the same if it were him and Elizabeth.

Jack lifted his head realizing that they had indeed arrived. A grave expression washed over his face, signalling to Angelica too that they were there, and it was time for her to go.

She stood up, and stepped off the boat onto the small dock in front of the shack.

"Don't forget, you need the book of rituals, the ouija board and planchette, and the candles." Will said hoping to god that she didn't forget anything, cause he had a feeling that she would not want to repeat this process if she did. She turned and smiled at Will, then turned again holding up the mirror so she could see Jack one last time.

"Be careful, luv, and don't worry, we are here for ye when ye get back" Jack said and smiled warmly at her.

"Uh...he said be careful and don't worry. And that we will be here for you when you get back" Will repeated what Jack had said.

She put the mirror away, and took a step closer to the door. She paused still nervous about entering. "Just breath, you can do this. For jack" she whispered to herself, and with that she opened the door and took a step inside. She turned around just in time to see Will smiling at her when the door mystically slammed shut. She suddenly felt overwhelmed with fear and tried to open the door again, but it was locked and she didn't have the key. She was now completely alone.


	8. Chapter 12

**A/N I would like to specially thank user, Gracie's Jar of Dirt, again, for their review which happened to have an effect on this chapter, hopefully for the better. **

* * *

She spun around trying to taking her surroundings. The room was dark and she quickly scanned the area looking for some matches to light some of the many candles in the room. She searched around for a few minutes until she found them. She lit a few candles and refocused herself on finding the items. She was in awe of how much stuff that one lady had when she lived there. There were piles of books everywhere, and all manner of jarred creatures and things hanging from the ceiling.

She had to stay focused, for Jack.

She would first find the candles, there were so many just lying around that she decided to find four that were the least melted. She set them on the table, now for the ouija board. Where would she find that? Something like that wouldn't just be left in the open, would it? She was frantically looking through everything.

She looked around the whole front room for that board, but still nothing. She wandered into the back room and looked under the cluttered table and surrounding chairs, and there it was. Under a chair pushed far against the wall, covered in a thick layer of dust. She pulled it out and blew it off. It had some strange patterns on it, the likes of which she had never seen before.

Oh well, thats not important she thought still looking at the antique. She brought it back over to the table and set it next to the candles. Now for the book of rituals. She scanned the room once more.

There had to be hundreds of book in this room alone. She didn't even want to think of how many there could be in the rest of the building. She thought she should get started going through the piles of books. She went over to one stack, picked it up and turned to bring it back to the table, but she wasn't paying attention and hit her head on a glass bottle making it fall to the floor with a loud crash.

* * *

Just outside the shack, Jack and Will were waiting in silence, fearing for when Angelica would return and the curse would take over her. They both look up when they heard a loud crash from inside. Jack had a worried look on his face as he stood about to go in after her to make sure she was okay.

"Jack, you know better than I why you can't go in there. She will be fine so just sit down. We will just have to wait until she comes out with the stuff for you, and then we can help her." Will said sternly making sure Jack listened. Jack sat back down, but his worried expression never left his face.

* * *

Back inside…

"Ow" she hissed, as she set the books down. She looked at what fell, it looked like a human foot...uh...she didn't feel good, but she looked away and remembered why she was still there. The book of rituals for Jack.

"I must find it" She whispered to herself as she pawed through the pile of books.

Book of Spells, Cloud Reading, Telling the Future, and countless others, none of them were what she was looking for. Will had said it was big, old and she couldn't possibly miss it, but then where was it? She had gone through tons of books, and still nothing. She kept thinking of possible places someone would store a book of that importance. Lets see, under a chair, on the bookshelf, on the floor, or...sitting right on the middle of the table that she had completely ignored. She wandered back over to the table, low and behold, there it was sitting right next to the candles and ouija board. She opened it looking for the ritual they needed to make sure they didn't need anything else before she left, because she knew for sure that she was never coming back. She flipped through the pages stopping at some that could have been what she was looking for. Creating Life, no. Waking the Dead, no. Killing the Dead, definitely not. Rejoining the Body and Soul, ah this looks like it she thought.

"For this ritual you will need the following items: The flesh of the dead, blood of the killer, tears of the friend, a cup of something from their favorite place, and a kiss from the lover. The tears, blood, and thing from their favorite place is to be mixed with their favorite drink." She read aloud. "The spirit must drink it from a special glass, while occupying the same space as their body, and as they are kissed by their lover, their spirit and body will be joined and will rise again in the world of the living. Thats not too complicated." She finished reading and closed the book.

She was leaving this place now, since she knew she wouldn't need to come back. She placed the ouija board on the book, and the candles on top of that, and she went to open the door for herself, but it was still locked.

She couldn't leave yet, she had to find that damn key. She examined the lock to see how big the key could be, and unfortunately as it turned out the keyhole was incredibly smaller than the average ones. Now what she going to do? She couldn't spend her time looking for that key. The door didn't appear to be very stable, she wondered if it would break if she ran into it. She took a few steps back to get a running start. She ran forwards slamming into the door, it shook slightly but did not appear to be anywhere near breaking down. She didn't want to do that again. She decided to try another tactic, she looked around for something resembling a hammer. She found a wooden mallet, curious as to why a voodoo goddess would need a mallet, she picked it up. She looked at it and shrugged, oh well she was going to get out even if she had to break the door into a million tiny pieces. She went back over to the door and started attacking it with the hammer. Finally she broke a small hole through the door, and she could barely see Will and the boat waiting for her.

From the outside, Will and Jack heard a lot of banging on the door not sure what Angelica was doing.

"She must be very angry at something to be making that much noise all by herself" Jack almost chuckled as he knew how violent she could be when she was upset.

"Well, I just want her to hurry up and finish releasing her anger on the door so we can get out of this cursed place." Will said impatiently.

* * *

Back inside… Angelica was still smaking the door with that mallet, the hole growing larger and larger, soon it was big enough for her to fit her hand through and open the door from the outside.

She threw the mallet to the ground and went back for her stack of items. She briskly walked out of the shack and was welcomed by a smiling Will, who quickly took the stuff from her.

"Will remind her that the curse will go into effect as soon as she steps off the dock" Jack said sternly.

"Angelica, wait, do not step off the dock yet. If you wish to say anything to Jack before you have to suffer the curse, speak now, cause the curse goes into effect as soon as you leave the dock." Will warned her.

"Ok then" She pulled out her mirror again, and angled it so she could see Jack watching her. She looked into his eyes "I love you Jack" She said "And no matter what happens, I always will." She said, never breaking eye contact with him.

Will set the ouija board in front of Jack so he could respond to her. She turned around to see what he would say. He moved the planchette and spelled the word "I will always love you too, and I wont ever leave you again" A smile spread over her face as she read his message. "Ok here it goes" She said as she stepped into the boat, and immediately she felt dizzy and disoriented. Will stood up just in time to catch her as she feinted. He lowered her carefully in the boat, and quickly began to row them back to the Dutchman.

"Don't worry, luv, I'm here for ye" Jack said sounding depressed while watching her just lie there. Hoping it wouldn't be too painful for her, and although he knew it would be awful, but he also knew she was the strongest person he knew, and that if anyone could get through it, she could.


	9. Chapter 13

Angelica opened her eyes. Where was she? Why was she on a beach?

It seemed familiar to her, but she couldn't remember being there. She looked around to see if she could find anyone.

There. She spotted a small dinghy that was steadily getting closer to shore. There appeared to be two people in it, but she couldn't quite see who they were. She walked closer to the water so she could see them as they got closer.

It was her and Jack, but if she was supposed to witness Jack's death, why was she seeing this? She was completely confused.

They were now close enough that she could hear what they were saying.

"I hate you" She heard her other self say to Jack.

"The bloke who saved yer life" Jack replied with a less than happy expression on his face.

"The years I possess, stolen from my own father." The other Angelica retorted.

"I only helped Blackbeard do what any father should have done" Jack explained.

"you are cruel" she continued.

They had reached the shore, Jack stepped out of the boat, and lifted a restrained Angelica up and tossed her onto the sand along with a pistol.

"He was going to leave me on this beach? With nothing but a pistol?!" Angelica grumbled to herself, while still observing her other self and Jack.

She winced as her other self tried to hit Jack over the head with a log, but luckily Jack was able to stop her.

"Did that really happen?" She asked still not remembering any of this.

She chuckled at the silly excuses her other self yelled at Jack to make him stay. Although there was actually a treasure to rule the wind and tide, she would never be desperate enough to tell Jack, would she? Now she wasn't so sure, this conversation seemed very familiar. She was deep in thought until she heard Angelica stop yelling at him.

"Jack, there something I wanted to tell you from the moment we met" Angelica heard her other self say, and suddenly became interested again.

"Go on then." Jack replied as he took a step closer to her.

"I love you." She said softly.

"As do I, always have, always will" Jack returned in an equally soft tone.

They leaned in to kiss when Jack turned and started running back to the dinghy.

"What? He was going to leave even though I said I loved him? That bastard." Angelica growled.

"Jack!" She heard her other self yell after him. She observed her cautiously not sure what she was going to do, but she soon found out. Her other self had gone to get the pistol Jack had left for her. Oh no, she thought as she realized what was happening.

"Jack watch out!" She yelled to him, but of course he couldn't hear her.

Her other self had returned to the edge of the beach and aimed the gun at Jack. The shot rang through the air, as Angelica spun around to see Jack fall over in the boat.

"No, no, no. This cannot be happening!" She was frantic as she watched her other self have a similar reaction. "I killed Jack?! What am I going to do?" Angelica was furious with herself.

* * *

Now having returned to the Dutchman, Jack was sitting next to her bed worried for when she would wake up. She had been lying mostly still, twitching occasionally, but Jack assumed it was because of the curse. Jack jumped up as she suddenly said in a concerned tone "Jack, watch out" her eyes were still closed, and he began to worry again about the effect this vision would have on her. He heard her speak again, this time she sounded less concerned and more upset. "No no no." He was curious what she was talking about and decided to ask her when she woke up.

* * *

What had she done? She quickly swam out to the dingy that wasn't too far away, following her other self, and climbed in. She watched her other self lift Jack's head onto her lap, and put pressure on the bloody wound to his chest. She looked down at him with fear filling her eyes, and tears streaming down her cheeks. She had not wanted this. She knew she usually wasnt that good at her aim.

She watched Jack lift his hand to her other self's face and wiped some of the tears from her eyes. "Here's to revenge, sweet and clear" he almost whispered as he grinned up at her. "Shh. You will be alright" Her other self pretended to sound confident as she put on a fake smile for him.

"Not this time luv" he whispered, as he glanced slightly at the hole in his chest, and at the blood on her hands. She watched her other self lean her face close to his so that her lips barely brushed his cheek as she whispered "I love you Jack Sparrow". She started crying, more than her other self had been.

"I love you too Angelica Teach, and I believe there should be a captain in there somewhere" He said to her other self, he chuckled slightly and closed his eyes for the last time. "NO! You can't die! You are Jack Sparrow!" She looked away at what she heard her other self say sobbing with her head resting on his chest.

She couldn't watch this anymore. She just wanted to get out of there. How much more of this would she have to see?

She watched as her other self jumped out of the boat into the shallow water and made her way back to shore tears still filling her eyes. She stood and looked back at Jack. What had she done? He would never forgive her for this.

"I'm sorry, Jack" She said through her tears, as she too got out of the boat and followed her other self back to land. She followed her other self to the other side of the island and sat down next to her. She tried to understand what her other self was saying between tears.

"Why did you have to save me?" she heard her say loud. "Why couldn't you just let me die so I would not have to live without you now? This is all your fault SPARROW!"

"No it wasn't you idiot! It was your own fault! You pushed him to the limit, and when he finally decided to leave you again you couldn't take it! Its your own fault. My fault!" She almost yelled as she watched her other self continue to cry. She dropped her head into her hands wishing that she could just leave this place.

Her other self yelled for a few more minutes before she passed out from exhaustion and dehydration.

Angelica was happy that her counterpart was now silent allowing her to think. She was wondering what Jack would do when he found out. What would he say? She didn't want to lose him again. Those questions whirled around her mind, and soon she too fell asleep.

* * *

Jack was lost in thought, pondering many questions he had for Angelica. He looked up at her to see her eyes flutter open.

"Jack!" She said, sitting up with a sense of urgency.

Jack jumped up, and ran out the door to get Will, knowing that he would not be missed for a minute.

"Will come here! She's awake!" Jack yelled to Will who was looking over the ritual in his cabin. They both entered the room to see that she was sitting up, tears running down her face. Will went over to her and pulled her into his arms.

"It is okay, remember that Jack is still here, we can bring him back." Will said trying to comfort her. She started to calm down and wiped the tears off her face.

"Who did you see? Do you know who killed him?" Will questioned cautiously.

"I'm kind of tired, can we go over this later?" Angelica lied not wanting to tell them what she saw.

"Of course. I'm sure Jack will wait with you if you decide you want to talk about it. Don't forget the ouija board is on the table if you do want to talk with him." Will said as he got up and left the room.

She held up her mirror and angled it at Jack. She looked at the worry in his eyes, and she felt sick. It was her fault they were in this mess.

"Jack, I...I need to be alone." She said as she walked over to see what he would say in response.

Jack watched her longing to hold her again, but he soon went over to the table and spelled out "It's ok luv, I understand you need time, but I'll be out on deck if you need me"

She angled the mirror and watched him sadly walk out the door with a depressed look in his eyes.

She sank to the floor lifting her hands to cover her face. How was she ever going to tell him?


	10. Chapter 14

"Will, I have a need to be lookin at that book of rituals if ye don't mind." Jack said as he leisurely walked into Will's cabin.

"May I ask why? You've already spent hours looking at the ritual to bring you back, what do you need now, and why aren't you with Angelica?" Will gave Jack a curious look.

"She said she wanted to be alone, which is why I am here. I have a feeling she won't be be tellin us what it is she saw." He spoke knowing that he was right. "I know her Will, if she wants to hide something, she will. I need to find a way to look into her memories, and thats why I be needin that book there, savy." Will also had this same feeling, that it may be to difficult for her to talk about, so he gave in.

"Well come on then, lets see if we can find what you want." Will said, surprised at how quickly he agreed with Jack.

"Let's see, 'memory removal' no, "memory transfer' no, 'fake a memory' no, ugh, there has to be one" Will said as he flipped through some more pages. "Ok what about this one? 'memory viewer'? Will this work for you?" Will turned to Jack who started reading the ritual.

"Step one: The person whose memory you are trying to view must be asleep, ok no problem. Step two: the viewer must be sitting next to them, one hand resting on their forehead,one hand resting over their heart, while thinking of what they wish to see. Okay thats easy." Jack read aloud, smiling at how simple it sounded. "step three: the viewer must say 'reveal your memories' four times. They will then be able to see the memory as if they were there while it was happening." Jack finished reading looking happily at Will who just shook his head.

"Caution, this ritual goes generally unnoticed by the memory owner, but it can cause a headache afterwards. On rare occasions, the memory owner will wake up, aware of what happened. Jack do you know how upset she would be if she found out?" Will asked giving Jack an unapproving look.

"Of course I do, but that is besides the point, if she is not willing to come forwards with the information, then I shall have to find out myself. Will we need to know." Jack said truly wishing he didn't have to do this to her. "If it will make you feel better why don't you go ask her before she goes to sleep." Jack compromised. Will rolled his eyes.

"Fine, but don't expect me to protect you from her tomorrow if she doesn't tell me now." Will warned. Jack followed Will back to her cabin.

"I'll see if she is still awake." Jack said as he stepped through the door. He saw her just sitting on the edge of her bed. He returned to Will and nodded. Will knocked on the door.

"Come in" She said sounding emotionally unstable. Will and Jack entered the room. Will sat across from her, while Jack merely stood by the door.

"How are you feeling?" will asked, genuinely concerned for her.

"I...I'm fine. why wouldn't I be?" She scowled at him.

"Ok ok, no need to get upset. I just came to ask if you felt like talking about who killed Jack. We need to gather the items for the ritual, and blood of his killer is top priority on the list." Will explained attempting to stay as calm as possible.

"Is Jack here?" She asked Will as she glanced around the room. Jack shook his head violently, and waved his hands everywhere signalling Will to say no, fearing that if she knew he was there she would not talk. Will didn't know what to say. He really wanted to know what she was going to say, but he didn't want to make her mad if she found out Jack was there.

Knowing what Will was about to say Jack spoke up. "Will think about it mate. The faster we know, the faster we won't be a bother to ye anymore. Thats gotta count for somethin eh?" Jack tried to be convincing hoping it worked. Will slightly nodded so Angelica wouldn't notice.

"No, Jack isn't here. He is on deck watching the sunset." Will said hoping she would believe him.

"Ok, I just don't want him to be angry. If he knew what I was about to tell you he may never speak to me again" Angelica said softly. Uh oh, thought Will. He realized he made the wrong choice by lying to her.

"Hold that thought Agnelica. I am going to make sure Jack isn't just standing outside the door." He said as he quickly got up and left the room, Jack hot on his heels. Will shut the door behind them.

"What was that about?!" Jack growled with an expression of pure anger on his face.

"Jack, you may not have caught on yet, but I have and if she says what I think she is going to, then it is best that you do not hear. I'm sorry. Have I ever given you a reason not to trust me? I know its difficult for you, but please stay here, and try not to do anything you will regret." Will said warningly to Jack who remembered saying similar words to him on their first adventure together.

Jack shrugged "Fine, but ye have to tell me sooner rather than later." Jack said as he walked up to the helm and looked out at the sea. What could she be hiding now?

* * *

Will returned to Angelica's cabin. She was right where he left her. She was looking down.

"Ok, I made sure Jack wouldn't listen. Now what were you about to say?" Will said although he thought he already knew.

"I...I didn't mean too. Will. I...I…" She couldn't finish, it was still to shocking for her to say.

"You killed him. Didn't you?" He sighed and looked into her eyes. She nodded.

"What now? I don't have the heart to tell Jack. I don't want to lose him again. If he knew, he may never even look at me again." She said tears rolling down her cheeks again.

"Listen to me" Will said stepping towards her. "I don't know how he will take it. All I know is that he loves you, and even though you may not hear it, he says it all the time. I am sure he can find a way to forgive you. But, I cannot tell him for you. He might be expecting me to, but I will not. He needs to hear it from you." Will said trying to sound reassuring. "He needs to hear the guilt in your voice, and know how sorry you are. And when he is back he will realize that although you killed him, you also saved him." Will continued.

"Okay, I guess I should tell him now then. Can you go get him?" She looked at Will who nodded and left the room.

* * *

"Jack!" Will yelled to him from the lower deck. Jack turned to see Will signalling for him to come down.

"What? What is it? What did she tell you?" Jack questioned him as he walked past.

"She wants to tell you herself. But please, try to stay calm. It is not something you want to hear, but she has to tell you herself." Will said praying that Jack wouldn't lose it in there.

Will and Jack returned to the cabin.

"Ok Angelica, Jack is here. I'm going to give you two some time." Will gave her a supportive glance as he walked out. Will shut the door behind him, but waited just outside so he could hear the conversation to make sure Jack didn't let his anger get out of control.

She was standing facing the wall at the back of the room, holding the mirror so she could see Jack who was still standing by the door.

"Jack." She said to get his attention. "You need to know something" She continued as he stepped closer to her.

"What is it, luv" he said with a slight smile. She tried not to look into his eyes, but she found it to be very difficult.

"Its...about who killed you" She said quietly. "It was...it was...me. Jack I killed you" She blurted out and hung her head low so she didn't have to see his reaction.

"Ah I see. Ye shot me cause I was going to leave ye on that beach." He was not angry, heck if he had a chance to kill Barbosa when he was marooned he would have tried to shoot him too. He was more surprised that she actually told him, than he was about her killing him.

Angelica was curious to see Jack's reaction, so she looked up again. He was standing right behind her, his hands on her shoulders, with his signature smirk on his face. She wasn't sure why he was smiling but she couldn't resist the urge to smile back.

"You're not angry?" She asked still confused by his expression. They both walked over to the table. Jack spelled out 'No, luv, I don't blame ye. It's my fault.' on the ouija board. She smiled. well at least thats over she thought.

"Now we just need to bring you back" She said hopefully.

Will opened the door and they both looked up to see his bewildered expression.

"Jack? Are you ok? Did she tell you?" Will asked suspicious about his reaction.

"Yeah mate, I know. It was my fault, and I would have done the same thing in her position, except for if I meant to miss my shot, I would have." Jack chuckled, and Will smiled. Finally he thought, hopefully there won't be anymore tears around here, its so depressing.

Angelica yawned, and seeing how tired she was, Will wished her a good night and left. Jack too spelled out "Good night, luv, hopefully things will get back to normal tomorrow, eh' and she watched him leave as well.

Hopefully Jack was right. How hard could the ritual be to preform. They had almost everything already. They had her blood, and she would gladly kiss him anytime, they had his body, they had water from the sea which is his favorite place, they had rum, his favorite drink. So all they needed was the tears from his friend, and they needed some special glass. But who among Jack's friends would cry at the news of his death? And where on earth were they going to get a special glass? Those were questions she would have to sleep on. She lay down and quickly fell asleep after her long day.


	11. Chapter 15

Jack and Will were standing at the helm thinking about the events of the day.

"That went better than expected, I thought for sure you would be furious with her." Will said breaking Jack's train of thought.

"I was angry, but not at her. It was my fault, so she has nothing to be guilty about, I hope she knows that." Jack said calmly, his eyes fixed on the horizon.

"Ok, but now that we know it was her, that only leaves two things we need for the ritual. The tears, and a glass." Will said trying to think of someone who would cry for Jack. "How many friends do you have Jack?" Will continued knowing that the list wasn't long.

"I got tons of friends. There's ye, Mr. Gibbs, and uh… Elizabeth is my friend." Jack said sounding disappointed by his short list.

"That's what I thought. Well we can rule out me and Gibbs as far as crying goes, so I guess our only shot is Elizabeth, but I don't know how she will react. I would hope she would cry for me, but I don't know about you, Jack." Will said wondering how his wife was, and what she was doing with her life.

"It's worth a try mate, but the only one among us that can go ashore to find her is Angelica whom she does not know. That could be problematic." Jack said slightly worried. "I will accompany Angelica to land and help her locate and befriend your wife. We will then return with her to the ship, she sees me dead, cries, you comfort her and gather her tears. Very good plan I think." Jack said rather unsensitivly. An expression of annoyance spread over Will's face.

"Fine" Jack rolled his eyes. "We bring her back to see ye, ye spend some time together, then we go on with the plan, Is that more to yer liking?" Jack compromised.

"Ok, that has a chance of working if she truly misses you." Will said as he turned to his helmsman. "Make sail for Port Royal."

"Aye, sir" the crewmember replied.

"So, how long will it take to reach our destination?" Jack wondered.

"At this rate, we should be there by midday tomorrow. I am going to get some sleep, and I suggest you do as well, if you can" Will said as he walked to the lower deck and into his cabin.

Jack was left on deck watching the rise and fall of the sea around the ship as it sailed through. He was tried too. He didn't want to sleep on the floor, or down with the crew so he walked into Angelica's cabin.

He watched her for a moment to make sure she was asleep. He desperately wanted to lay with her. And why shouldn't he? Its not like she could see him, or make him leave. He walked over to the bed and lied down next to her. He continued to watch her sleep. He thought she looked so peaceful. He would have put his arms around her and pulled her close to him, if he could have. But he couldn't so he just watched her, as he slowly drifted to sleep.

* * *

Jack opened his eyes, only to see that Angelica was once again laying on him, not that he could blame her for that. He decided to get up, he had slept well last night and was now looking forward to being alive again. He stretched his arms, and yawned as he gingerly walked out of the room.

He squinted at how bright it was outside. He looked up to see Will standing at the helm with a mixed expression of both excitement and worry on his face.

"Oi, Will, ever seen a more beautiful day?" Jack yelled cheerily as he walked up to stand next to him.

"No, this day is perfect. For the time being that is." Will said with doubt apparent in his voice.

"Ye look bloody awful, whats wrong with ye?" Jack asked almost sounding concerned for his friend.

"Its been so long since I've seen Elizabeth. I can't wait to see her again. But, I have no idea what her life has been like since I've been gone." Will said in a borderline depressed tone.

"Will, ye have helped me with my problems, now let me help ye with yers." Jack said recalling everything Will had ever done for him. "What are ye worried about anyways? She will be overjoyed to see ye." He continued, ending his trip down memory lane.

"I don't know Jack. What if she's with someone else now? What if she isn't in port royal anymore? What if she died? Oh my god Jack what if.." Will said letting his imagination get the better of him, before he was interrupted by Jack.

"Will stop. Ye are ruining my beautiful morning with your bad mood." Jack said turning to face Will. "She is not dead, and anyways did she not say countless times before you left that she loved you?" Jack said sternly trying to make Will calm down.

"Yes," Will muttered, looking down.

"Did she not also brave all manner of situations to save ye?" Jack continued questioning Will trying to make him feel better about seeing his wife.

"Yes," Will was still looking down.

"As I recall she also sacrificed me to that bloody kraken so ye all could get away, even if ye didn't realize it, she saved ye. Right?" Jack could probably come up with a hundred other reasons, but he decided that his next piece of evidence should do the trick.

"Yes she did" Will looked up again, but still spoke quietly.

"And last but certainly not least, She did marry ye, did she not? She could have settled for Norrington, or she could have given into me, who gave her the option. But no, she waited. And do ye know who she waited for? She waited for ye, mate. She loves ye, and if she is in fact with someone else mate, I'll kill 'im for ye. Or at least talk her out of it. Cheer up now will ye?" That was it, Jack said no more knowing that his inspirational talk worked. Will looked calmer now.

"You are right Jack. You know, I think it is going to be a good day, I am just not looking forward to her reaction regarding your death." Will smiled and looked out over the horizon.

"Aye, that is not something I am keen on witnessing either, but I promise it is a necessary evil." Jack too was slightly smiling, glad that he actually was able to help someone. "So, how long til we be arriving then?" Jack asked remembering that Angelica was still asleep, and that he may need to wake her.

"We should be there in a few hours. Shall I go wake Angelica?" Will replied nonchalantly.

"No, let her sleep, she had a long day yesterday, and today could turn into another one depending on how long it takes to find and return with your wife." Jack decided that it would be best for her to get more sleep, because although she needed it, he also knew that she could get very violent when she was tired. He knew that no one ever should be around her when she was like that unless they wanted to be beheaded, so by all means, let her sleep.


	12. Chapter 16

She rolled over onto her side, as she opened her eyes. She didn't sleep well. She got up slowly, stretched her arms and yawned. She slipped on her boots and her jacket before walking out onto the deck. She shielded her eyes with her hand as she looked around. The sky was clear, the sun was bright, and the temperature was perfect. She took a breath of the cool fresh sea air.

She walked up to the upper deck where Will was standing by the rail of the ship. He appeared to be talking to himself, but she figured he was actually talking to Jack.

"Do you think she will agree to your plan?" Will asked Jack who nodded to Angelica. Will turned around. "Good morning sleepy head. Its good that you are awake cause we will be arriving soon." He smiled.

"And where are we going?" She asked skeptically.

"Port Royal to pay my wife a visit." Will replied still smiling.

"I thought we were trying to help Jack? And how do you expect to see her anyways? You can't go on land." She said trying to figure out what they had planned.

"We are helping Jack. Elizabeth and Jack have a history, and we need one of his friends to cry over his death. We agreed that she is his best chance. And I know I can't go on land to find her and she can't see Jack so, that leaves you." Will explained hoping she would agree, but her expression made him think otherwise. He turned to Jack who sighed.

"Wrong choice of words mate. Now she will think there was something between Elizabeth and I when there most certainly was not." Jack frowned when he saw Angelica's expression.

"What do you mean by 'they have a history'?" She did not sound happy.

"Nothing, I meant they are good friends but nothing more. Don't worry, you are the only one he's ever seemed to truly be in love with." Will chuckled at her jealousy and looked nervously at Jack who was not smiling.

"Whatever you say. Anyways, you want me to go and find 'Elizabeth' and bring her back?" She said, not looking forwards to this.

"Yes. We need you to find her. Make her trust you enough to come back with you. Then me and Jack will take care of the rest." Will said still smiling.

"First, how am I going to find her? I don't know anything about her. Secondly, if I find her what makes you think she will trust me?" She asked still unsure about this.

"Jack will go with you, but here take this. Even though he knows her well enough to be able to find her, this will help you. As far as making her trust you, I'm afraid you'll have to do that on your own. If you tell her that I need to speak to her about Jack, it should gain her interest enough so you can at least talk to her." Will said reassuringly as he handed her Jack's compass.

"Ok, this could work I guess." She agreed, but still wondered how well Elizabeth and Jack really knew each other.

* * *

"Let go the anchors, and lower the longboat" Will yelled as the ship came into view of Port Royal.

"Aye sir" Some crew members responded before getting to work.

Will turned back to face Jack and Angelica. "Ok, you both know the plan. I will expect you back by no later than midday tomorrow. That should give you enough time to find her, talk to her and come back." Will said as he walked with them down to the lower deck. "Oh, don't forget the mirror, and the compass. Unfortunately, you probably don't want to carry the ouija board with you so Jack won't be able to talk to you unless you learn to lip read. Now off you go, and be careful." He continued, while helping her into the boat.

"We will be fine. See you in at most a day" She said before she pushed off and started rowing to shore.

* * *

She walked quickly up the dock with Jack close behind her.

"Oi, its a shilling to tie your boat to the dock miss." the dockmaster said before they could get very far. "And I shall need to know your name"

"Fine," She sneered as she handed him a coin. "and my name is miss Smith" she lied.

"Well then, Welcome to Port Royal Ms Smith." He said before walking away.

She continued walking "Ok, now where do we go from here?" She asked as she held up the compass. It pointed straight ahead through the town. She held up the mirror to see that Jack had already continued walking. She quickly caught up with him before he could get to far away.

"Hey, you can't just walk away from me. I can't see or hear you remember" She said angrily.

"Well, I want to get this over with as soon as possible if ye don't mind" He replied without facing her, knowing that she couldn't hear him. They walked up the busy street. She kept her eye on the compass to make sure that Jack was going the right way.

He knew that the governor's daughter would not be hard to find. Undoubtedly, after having so many dealings with pirates, and after Will's departure, she would have moved to a secluded area outside of town. Into a house that was inconspicuous and wouldn't attract much attention.

"This way" he signalled to Angelica, as he turned down onto a less busy street.

"Jack, how do you know where you're going? You haven't looked once at the compass. How well do you know this woman?" She asked skeptical of his relationships as she followed him down another even less busy street that led to the outskirts of the town. At this Jack stopped and rolled his eyes. Angelica was looking down at the compass so he stepped behind her as she kept walking. She lifted the mirror again to see where Jack was. She stopped. He was no longer in front of her.

"Jack, where are you?" She said hoping he hadn't left her there. She angled the mirror to see the whole area in front of her, but he wasn't there. She turned it back to herself to see Jack standing behind her. He had his hands on her shoulders. She looked into his eyes.

"We are just friends, luv, there is nothing between us at all" He said hoping to answer her previous question. She tried to read his lips and thought she deciphered some of that he said. "You just said that 'you are friends, and there is nothing between you' right? I assume that is in response to my previous question?" She inquired. He nodded before he stepped back in front of her. He turned down another street and waited for her to follow.

She looked back at the compass and followed Jack around the corner. He really did know where he was going. He was stopped in front of a house. She looked at the compass again, how could he possibly know that this was the house? Not even Jack's words were enough to clear her conscience. He smiled at her before she lowered the mirror to knock on the door.

* * *

"Just a minute" Said a voice from inside the house. "Yes, what can I do for you?" Asked the young english woman.

"Are you Elizabeth Turner?" Angelica asked trying to sound nice to this 'friend' of Jack's.

"That depends on who is asking." The woman said skeptically.

"I am asking, because, I have word from Will" Angelica said trying not to sound irritated.

"Yes, I'm Elizabeth. Will sent you?" Elizabeth sounded unsure of what else to say.

"Yes Will sent us, uh.. I mean me to find you. Can I come in, I really need to speak with you" Angelica asked.

"Yes of course, any friend of Will is a friend of mine. Please come in" Elizabeth opened the door for her.

"Would you like anything to eat, or drink?" Elizabeth asked as she walked to the kitchen.

"No, I'm fine, can we please just talk, I have some other things that I would like to get done today." Angelica said thinking about Jack.

"Ok fine" Elizabeth returned to the dining room where she left Angelica.

"Will needs to talk to you. Its about one of your old friends." Angelica said watching her cautiously.

"Who is it? Whats wrong?" Elizabeth questioned sounding upset.

"I believe you are quite 'familiar' with a certain Jack Sparrow." Angelica asked already knowing the answer.

"Captain!" She corrected. "Captain Jack Sparrow. Yes I have had dealings with him in the past, and I consider him a good friend. Why what trouble is he in now?" Jack, who was standing behind Angelica's chair smiled at her reaction to Angelica's mistake.

"I am afraid that Will told me explicitly not to tell you. He wanted to tell you in himself" Angelica sighed.

"Why is it that ye people are so bad with yer wording. Of course now ye told her that ye can't tell her, she will make ye tell her." Jack sighed, now pacing around the room.

"Why would he need to tell me himself if its only about Jack? Why can't you tell me yourself? Actually I'm surprised Jack isn't here himself, usually he looks for his own help, and doesn't recruit some random person to do it for him" Elizabeth said suspiciously, completely ignoring the fact that Will must not be far away if he sent Angelica there. Jack's smile faded when he heard this. Uh oh. Not good.

"That was not very wise. She is not just some person, and by the looks of it she is about to tell you that. Why do ye people continue to make awful word choices." Jack chuckled standing now behind Elizabeth as he watched Angelica's face turn red in anger at Elizabeth's comment.

"Ok fine, whatever, I won't tell you anything, but the news is upsetting so Will thought he should tell you himself. And I am not just some 'random' person. You are not the only one who knows Jack." Angelica said sharply clearly wishing she wasn't there.

"Upsetting? well thats new." Elizabeth said sarcastically, "And just how well do you know that bloody liar Jack Sparrow?" She asked now curious about Angelica's reaction.

"It is a long story that I have neither the time to discuss nor the desire to do so. Can you please just come with me to talk with Will?" Angelica asked now completely annoyed by this conversation. She was thinking about how she killed Jack and she just wanted to get him back. She did not want to wait for this 'friend' of his.

"Ok, but let me get my son first. He is at a friends house, you can stay here if you wish, I will only be gone a few minutes." Elizabeth said as she got up and walked towards the door.

"Yes, I will stay here until you return." Angelica rolled her eyes as Elizabeth shut the door behind her. Still remembering how she killed Jack did not help her mood.

* * *

Angelica held up the mirror to see Jack standing behind her once again. He was not happy with her.

"What's wrong with you?" She asked sounding very irritated.

"Sometimes I just don't understand you." He said shaking his head in disappointment about her behavior.

"You don't understand me? Is that what you said?" She was now getting angry. "And you think it is easier for me to understand you? Well think again." He knew she wasn't angry because he wasn't easy to understand, she was just using it as an excuse. Finding out what she was really upset about was going to be much harder to figure out.

"I'm sorry, luv, now tell me what's wrong, cause me being hard to understand is not enough to make ye this upset" Jack smiled hoping she understood.

"You are sorry? Well that's just great!" Angelica was fuming, why couldn't he be angry at her for killing him. "Why do you care why I'm upset?" Angelica growled.

" I care because I can. I couldn't stop caring about ye if ye killed me. Which as a matter of fact, ye did, and I still care, so now I'm going to ask ye again. Why are ye so upset?" Jack said having no idea that she was thinking about his death.

She put the mirror down. She couldn't look at him anymore. Thank goodness she couldn't hear him cause she would certainly start crying again.

"I.. I'm fine. We just need to get Elizabeth back to the ship and everything will be ok." Angelica mumbled not even holding the mirror anymore.


	13. Chapter 17

"Bloody difficult" Jack mumbled. Why couldn't she just talk to him? He sighed.

Angelica was still sitting at the table when Elizabeth got back.

"Okay, are you ready to go..uh.. what is your name? Or shall I just call you friend of Jack's?" Elizabeth said as she walked into the dining room.

"Don't call me that. My name is Angelica if you must know." She just wanted to leave and be alone.

"Ok Angelica, are you ready to go then?" Elizabeth asked.

"Yes lets go" She jumped up and walked towards the door.

"Alex, come on, we are going to see your father." Elizabeth called to the boy who was now in his room.

"Ok mother" Alex said as he walked to the door.

"Alex, this is Angelica, she is a friend of your fathers." She quickly introduced them as they all walked outside.

"Pleasure to meet you miss." Alex said politely bowing to her.

"Nice to meet you as well. You look a lot like your father. I'm sure people tell you that all the time." Angelica said before receiving warning look from Elizabeth.

"No, I have never met him." Alex was on the verge of tears as he held his mothers hand tightly.

"I'm sorry, I didn't realize. Well, I never really had a father in my life either." Angelica said empathetic to his situation.

"Ok ok lets quit the chatter and keep moving." Jack said impatiently as he walked behind the others. Alex turned around to face Jack as if he heard what Jack said. Thats impossible, thought.

"Mother, who is that man following us? Is he a friend of dad's too?" Alex turned to Elizabeth.

She and Angelica stopped and turned around. There was no one there.

"What man darling? There is no one there." Elizabeth said continuing towards the docks.

"Yes there is. He is right there." He pointed right at Jack, but of course the two women could not see him.

"Ye can't see or hear me, it is not possible." Jack said still pondering what this boy was going on about.

"Yes I can. Why are you following us?" Alex let go of his mother and fell into step with Jack.

"I am a friend of yer parents boy." Jack said giving up on trying to find an explanation.

"Really? You know my parents? What is my father like?" Alex questioned excitedly.

"Alex, who are you talking to?" Elizabeth asked him.

"I'm talking to him." Once again he pointed to Jack.

"Thats silly, there is no one there." Elizabeth said turning back to Angelica. "Children, they have such active imaginations." Angelica noded but was still curious about who Alex thought he was talking to.

"Can you describe your friend for me?" Angelica asked Alex who was still walking behind her.

"Um…" Alex looked at Jack. "he is kind of tall, he has a funny beard, longer hair, a cool pointy hat. Umm he is wearing a cool jacket, boots, and a lot of jewelry. He's said he is a friend of my parents" That was all she needed to hear. He had just described Jack, but how could he know what Jack looked like?

"He sounds like a very interesting character. I wonder if I would like him if he was real." Angelica said jokingly. They all kept walking down the street.

"I think you two would be very good friends. He is very nice." Alex said kindly.

"Thanks boy, but she don't want to be my friend. Anyways, bout yer father, he is kind, strong, brave, and he loves yer mother very much." Jack said answering Alex's previous question.

"I can't wait to meet him, but why doesn't Miss Angelica want to be friends with you?" Alex was confused. Angelica looked back at him wondering what Jack was possibly telling that poor boy.

"Well friends look out for each other right? And when someones upset their friends help them through it right? But how can ye be friends if ye don't trust anyone to talk bout yer problems? Answer that for me." Jack smiled.

"So what you're saying is that she doesn't want to be friends because she doesn't trust you enough to tell you what's troubling her? Right? I agree with you, if you can't trust your friends and family, then who can you trust?" Alex said looking at Jack. Why can't Jack let anything go? She was fine and there was nothing for him to worry about. What even made him think that in the first place? Then she remembered back at the house and how he mind was filled with thoughts of guilt.

They reached to docks which were now busy with people rushing around trying to load their ships. They walked over to the dinghy.

"Ok, get in." Angelica said looking at Elizabeth and Alex. They both did as she said and got in the boat. Jack got in as well and sat across from Alex.

A small ship had just pulled in and suddenly there were more people running around the dock. Angelica was still on the dock untying the dinghy when someone bumped into her and she fell face first into the water.

"Angelica!?" Elizabeth and Jack said at the same time. Jack would have helped her but he couldn't so he laughed instead at her frustration.

"Uh, idiota!" She said. She would have yelled at the man who pushed her if he had not helped her out of the water. Jack's smile faded when he realized that the man knew her.

"Angelica? Is that you?" The man asked.

"Ricardo?" She said between coughs. Before she knew it he gave her a big hug. Alex looked over at Jack who was now looking angry.

"Whats wrong...uh what is your name?" Alex realized he didn't know his name.

"Jack, my name is Jack." Jack tried to sound calm as he watched Angelica.

"Ok then what's wrong? Will you tell me what's wrong?" Jack turned to him in astonishment at his concern.

"It is just hard for me to see my friend that close to someone else when she is never that close to me." He tried to explain.

"I understand, you are jealous aren't you? You like her don't you?" Alex asked smugly even though he already knew the answer. Jack did not want to talk about this anymore so he turned his attention back to Angelica.

"Ricardo what are you doing here? Its so good to see you." Angelica smiled.

"Well I could ask you the same question. I got hired to be a deckhand for this commercial shipper, so what happened to you?" Ricardo sounded more than happy to see her.

"Oh you know, I found my father, then he was killed, I fell in love, but I don't know how that's working out, my life is just a big disappointment after another." She tried to sound sorry for herself, knowing that Jack was probably listening, she could get him back for earlier. She didn't really mean any of it, but it was always fun to make him jealous. Jack looked away and tried to focus on the ships coming and going around them.

"Well, that doesn't sound like you. What do you say we talk about it over dinner?" Ricardo said sweetly. Ugh, Jack couldn't stand the thought of her actually saying yes. He kept trying to block out their conversation, but to no avail.

" I can't, I have to help some friends. It was nice seeing you again. Perhaps we shall meet again before I leave." Angelica said as she got into the dinghy.

"Ok, I will count on it" He said as she started rowing them away.

"Who was that friendly fellow?" Elizabeth asked skeptically.

"Oh him? He is just an old friend" Angelica said not wanting to talk about him anymore.

Alex was still watching Jack who was making a point to not look at Angelica.

"Jack? What's wrong Jack?" Alex asked concerned that his friend had not hardly turned his eyes away from the open sea. Jack snapped out of it. He turned back to Alex who gave him a concerned look.

"Nothin lad, I'm fine. I just want to get back to yer father's ship, thats all." Jack lied, he was actually hurt by what Angelica had said earlier. He wasn't sure if she had actually meant it. He was right about what he said earlier, he could never understand her.

"My father is captain of a ship? That is so cool!" Alex said excitedly catching the attention of his mother.  
"Who told you that?" Elizabeth had never told him that much about Will.

"My friend Jack did." He said as he looked back over at Jack.

"You and your imagination." She smiled and ruffled his hair.

Angelica was still curious about how Alex, this small child could see and hear Jack while she could not. Why is that? She wondered as she continued rowing. Soon they came up to the Dutchman.

"Is that the ship?" Alex pointed excitedly.

"Yes darling, and there is your father" She pointed to Will who was standing at the helm giving orders to his crew. Both Angelica and Elizabeth were busy tying off the boat, that both of them missed Jack and Alex's conversation.

"Jack? Are you happy to be back to the ship?" Alex looked confused by Jack's expression.

"Aye lad, I'm happy to be back, I'm just not looking forward to what will take place later." Jack said grimly.

"Why? What's going to happen?" Alex was now concerned.

"Nothing that will affect ye lad, some people will just be getting emotional, and its not somthin I enjoy watchin." Jack smiled slightly.

"Why are people going to be upset?" Alex was curious.

"Don't tell anyone but a friend of yer parents died recently, and so they might be upset. Don't go tellin them now." Jack said warningly.

"Aye sir." Alex said understanding what Jack told him.

"Good lad." Jack smiled, now if only everyone was like this then there would be no misunderstandings he thought.


	14. Chapter 18

"Will!" Elizabeth was ecstatically shouting as she climbed onto the ship.

"Elizabeth is so good to see you" He said as she ran up and hugged him. He almost fell over.

"And who is this fellow?" Will eyed Alex curiously.

"He's our son." She smiled widely at him. "Alex come meet your father."

"Hello sir," Alex said politely. Will smiled.

"Will, my new friend Angelica told me you needed to tell me something important. What is it? What's wrong?" Elizabeth asked curiously. Will looked to Jack who was now standing next to Angelica.

"Will, perhaps ye should let Alex stay with Angelica while ye tell yer wife what happened. It may not be a pretty sight." Jack warned. Alex turned back to Jack with a confused expression, while Will nodded in agreement.

"Angelica, would you mind looking after Alex for a few hours?" Will asked hoping she would accept without an argument.

"Ok, but just this once." She sighed, not really ever dealing with children made her not sure about what to do with him. But how hard could watching one little boy be? "I'll keep him occupied, don't worry"

"Thanks" Will said before turning back to Elizabeth. "Now, maybe we should discuss this in my cabin" He suggested as he led her below deck.

"So Alex, do you want to see the rest of the ship?" Angelica asked seeing the bored look on his face.

"Ok." He said wishing he knew what his parents were talking about.

"Follow me, come on" She said walking away towards the stairs to the lower deck. Alex trailed behind her before he stopped.

"Jack are you coming too?" Alex asked. Jack had been thinking about how happy Angelica looked, even if she was only faking it. He was imagining her with a child of her own before his thoughts were interrupted by Alex.

"Aye lad I'm coming" He said smiling as he followed him.

* * *

"Will, what is it? What does Jack need help with now?" Elizabeth asked concerned.

"How did you know it was about Jack? Angelica told you didn't she?" Will said.

"Yes and no. She told me that something was wrong with Jack, but she didn't tell me what. She said it was something that you wanted to tell me yourself." She explained.

"Ah, I see. Well, you see, something terrible happened. You might not believe it, so you may want to sit down" Will said grimly.

"Will, I'm sure whatever it is, I can handle it." She said irritated by his ambiguity.

"Ok then I'm just going to say it. Jack Sparrow, is... um… he's … he's dead" Will winced at his own words.

"Are you telling me that the infamous Jack Sparrow who hadn't been even injured from all of those adventures we went on is dead?" She chuckled. Will frowned, not amused by her lack of seriousness.

"You can't expect anyone to believe that. How did he die then?" Elizabeth asked mockingly.

"He was shot. In the chest." Will said grimly.

"By who?" Elizabeth asked, still skeptical of his claim. Will was not sure if he should tell her, but decided it would be better if he told her the truth.

"Uh, you just met them, today in fact." Will said trying not to say it blatantly if he could help it.

"Angelica? You expect me to believe that she shot Jack? Now that is too crazy. Why would you say that?" Elizabeth asked now annoyed. Will stepped forwards and held her shoulders so he could look her in the eye.

"Elizabeth, Angelica shot Jack. He is dead" Will said sternly. Then it hit her, he was probably telling the truth, but she needed proof.

"Do you have any proof?" She asked hoping he would say no. But, she had a bad feeling that he did.

"Unfortunately. come with me." He said as he led her out of the room.

* * *

"Here is the brig. This is where you go if you get into trouble." Angelica explained, still on their tour of the ship.

"This ship is so cool! Jack don't you think so too?" Alex beamed at Jack who was almost enjoying this walk around the ship.

"Aye lad, as a matter of fact, one time I was locked in this cell right over here." Jack smiled.

"Why were you locked up in here?" Alex asked curiously. Angelica listened to Alex, what was Jack telling him now?

"Well, it was cause I made a deal with the man who captained this ship b'fore yer father. He wasn't a very nice guy." Jack explained, not going into too much detail.

"What kind of a deal did you make?" Alex's eyes were filled with curiosity.

"It isn't important, Davy Jones was his name, and he was pure evil, almost as evil as Balckbeard. Ye know bout him, right?" Jack wondered.

"Aye, I know bout Blackbeard, and I've heard stories bout Davy Jones too. Can you tell me about your adventures sometime?" Alex was really interested in Jack, but Angelica had heard enough.

"Alex, come on, lets get back to the main deck, maybe your parents are done talking now" She suggested, not wanting to hear him talk to Jack anymore.

"Awe, ok. But Jack promise to tell me some stories later?" Alex asked as they walked back up the stairs.

"Sure lad, I'll tell ye some stories later." Jack grinned at the boys enthusiasm.

Just as Jack, Angelica and Alex were about to go up the last stairs, they heard Will and Elizabeth coming their way. They all stepped out of sight of the couple. Jack was curious about Elizabeth's reaction, and by the look on Alex's face, so was he. After Will and Elizabeth had gone down the stairs a ways, Jack followed them. Alex had seen Jack walk away after his parents and decided to follow as well.

"Alex? Alex, where did you go?" Angelica whispered. There he was, he was slowly walking down the stairs after his parents. "Get back up here!" she whispered sternly after him. Ugh, why don't boys ever listen she thought. She caught up with him as they approached the deck where his parents were. Their conversation became clearer as they got closer. Jack was already there standing next to Elizabeth. Will noticed him there but made no indication of it. They were standing around an object covered in a cloth. They all knew that it was Jack's dead body, but Elizabeth still felt the need to see it for herself.

* * *

"Are you sure you want to see this?" Will asked giving her one last chance to just take his word.

"Yes, if he truly is gone, I need to see it." Elizabeth said strongly. Will nodded and started to lift the cloth off of Jack's face. Jack's face was pale, and ghostly. She gasped, the color faded from her face. She turned into Will who hugged her.

"Jack?" Alex whispered from his hiding place, confused at what he was seeing. He turned to Angelica who had begun to cry. He gave her a hug before he crept up the stairs again, not wanting to watch anymore. Angelica quietly followed him.

"So.. he really is gone.." Elizabeth too began to cry. Will took out a vial to hold her tears in.

"Yes he is." She continued to cry. "Shh. Its ok." He lifted her chin and looked her in the eye.

"I.. I guess I never really thought it was possible...after what happened with the Kraken and all" She muttered between tears.

"Close your eyes, everything will be ok." Will said calmly. As she did Will lifted the vial to her face, and managed to contain a few tears before she looked at him again. Now just to calm her down before she got upset with Angelica. He knew that was a lot to hope for, but he had to at least try.

"It's all going to be okay. Now we can bring him back." Will said still comforting her.

"How?" She asked, tears still streaming down her face.

"Well, now that you cried for him, we have what we need for the ritual. Elizabeth, we can bring him back thanks to you." He held her away from himself to look into her eyes. She smiled, but she was still wondering why Angelica killed him.


	15. Chapter 19

"How could you?!" Elizabeth almost yelled at Angelica who was sitting on the top stairs with Alex.

"Excuse me? What are you mad at me for?" Angelica questioned although she already knew the answer.

"You know exactly why! How could you kill him?!" Elizabeth was now yelling. Will ran up the stairs and stepped between the two women.

"Now calm down! Both of you!" Will said sternly. "Ok, yes Angelica killed Jack. But it was a mistake, and she knows it. So, Elizabeth, calm down it will be ok." He continued, hoping that he could prevent further conflict.

"and how exactly are we going to bring him back? He is dead this time. It isn't like last time. He is actually dead." Elizabeth was still upset and glaring at Will, waiting for an explanation.

"Wait, what do you mean last time?" Angelica asked as she stepped out from behind Will.

"Nothing sweetness, she meant nothing at all" Jack lied even though she couldn't hear him, as he stepped in front of her. She walked right through him and up to Elizabeth.

"Are you saying you killed him before?!" It was her turn to be upset now. Will sighed, and stepped between them again.

"Will you both just stop. Stop right now. I don't want to hear another word about this from either of you." Will sad irritated by their argument. "You both have killed the 'infamous Captain Jack Sparrow' now get over it and start thinking about where we will get the special glass for the ritual." Will continued in his irritated tone.

"Fine. So what does the book mean by special? How special does the glass have to be?" Angelica said remembering the ritual.

"Um, excuse me, but what exactly is the ritual?" Elizabeth asked calmly.

"We need blood from the killer, the body of the deceased, tears from a friend, their favorite drink, and something from their favorite place; all of it is to be mixed in a 'special' glass, drunk by the spirit, then they are to be kissed by their lover. Then supposedly their spirit and body will be joined and they will be alive again." Will quickly explained.

"So let me get this, we have my tears, Angelica's blood, Jack's body, seawater and rum of course, but you don't have the special glass. And what about his lover, Jack told me once that his one and only love is the sea. What about that?" Elizabeth asked slightly confused.

"You're right about the glass, we don't have that, but as for his lover…" Will said as he glanced over to Angelica. "She is right there." Elizabeth's jaw dropped. She didn't know what to say. What?! How could someone who loves you be the one to kill you, Elizabeth had no idea, it didn't make sense to her.

"You?" Elizabeth finally said. "Jack Sparrow fell for you?" She said still awestruck at this news.

"Aye, or so he says." Angelica smirked. "And I suppose you're wondering why I killed him."

"Who shoots the person that loves them? Who does that?" Elizabeth was still confused.

"He was going to leave me alone on a beach. I couldn't stand to lose him, so I shot at him hoping to miss, but I didn't." Angelica looked down, tears of guilt had crept down her face but she did not want to show it.

"You love him too. Oh I see, I think I understand." Elizabeth smiled " Ok, so then all we really need is the glass."

"Aye, but the book didn't say why the glass was special, how can we possibly find something with that vague of a description?" Angelica asked. Jack was still listening, but had gone to sit by Alex who was still sitting on the stairs.

* * *

"Oi, what's wrong lad?" Jack asked based on the expression plastered on Alex's face.

"You? You're the one they are talking about. My parents are your friends, and Angelica is your girlfriend _and_ the one who killed you." Alex looked slightly afraid.

"Aye lad I guess ye could say that Angelica just loved dear ol' Jack too much. But its ok, I don't blame her." Jack chuckled, but stopped when Alex began losing the color in his face. "Don't be afraid lad, I wont hurt ye." Jack tried to comfort him.

"b...but why can I see you if you're a ghost?" Alex asked as he seemed to be really thinking it over.

"I don't know lad, but yer father can see the dead as well." At this Alex looked up.

"What? He can see you too?" Alex looked really confused.

"Aye, I know he can cause he is the ferryer of souls, but I don't know why ye can, it ain't usually a family trait. But I do have an idea." Jack said trying to remember where that idea came from.

"What is it?" Alex asked curiously.

"Well I heard that children can see ghosts because they have better eyesight." Jack said still not really sure where that thought came from.

"Wow, that is so cool." Alex seemed to calm down and not be afraid anymore.

"So yer not afraid of me anymore lad?" Jack asked.

"No sir, I'm not afraid of you Jack" Alex said proudly.

"Good lad" Jack said before returning his attention to Will, Angelica, and Elizabeth.

* * *

"It could be a chalice like the ones we used at the fountain of youth." Angelica said not really sure how they were ever going to figure it out.

"I don't know, I don't think it would be that obvious. It is like a riddle" Will said thinking of how to figure it out.

"I got it." Elizabeth exclaimed, Will and Angelica both turned to look at her waiting to hear her idea. "What if it was not special on its own. But it was just special to Jack?" She continued.

Will nodded but Angelica still looked skeptical.

"The only thing is I don't know how we would ever find something like that without asking Jack." Elizabeth sighed. Will turned to see that Jack was now standing next to him.

"Jack? Got a special glass?" Will asked.

"The only special glasses to me mate are the ones that hold me rum." Jack chuckled.

"Well, I suppose if it is special to you, then I guess a rum bottle could work." Will agreed.

"Will? Who are you talking to?" Elizabeth was very confused. Angelica pulled out her mirror, and angled it towards Jack so Elizabeth could see him next to Will.

"I believe you know Jack Sparrow" Angelica smiled at seeing him again.

"Jack?" Elizabeth wasn't sure if she should believe what she saw.

"Aye Elizabeth, It's me." Jack smirked. Elizabeth saw him, and he looked like he was talking but why couldn't she hear him? She was about to ask before Angelica interrupted her.

"You can't hear him, you can only see him. If you want to know what he's saying, learn to lip read, or ask Will, he can hear him." She answered Elizabeth's question before she even asked.

"Will? You knew Jack was still here, and you made me go though all that anyways?" She said referring to the emotional state she was in earlier.

"I couldn't tell you. We needed one of his friends to cry over his death for the ritual. Neither I nor Gibbs was going to, and since he doesn't have many friends, well, you were our best choice." Will explained. "I wanted to tell you, I did not want to make you upset, but I had no choice. It was either that or keep Jack's spirit aboard my ship forever, and I don't like that alternative." He continued.

"Ok, so he said that a rum bottle would work? Can we do the ritual now?" Elizabeth asked impatiently.

"Yeah I don't see why not. Angelica, Jack are you two ready to perform the ritual?" Will asked as he looked at both of them. They both nodded.


	16. Chapter 20

They all gathered around Jack's dead body. Neither Angelica nor Elizabeth had the heart to look at him, but they turned to look at Will who was coming down the stairs with the items they needed.

"Ok, so one candle needs to be placed by his head, one by his feet, and one on both sides of him." Will explained looking up from the large book. Angelica and Elizabeth nodded and began to light the candles and place them around Jack.

None of them knew it, but Alex was watching from the stairs. He was curious to see what would happen to his friend.

"Now, here is the bottle of rum, I already mixed some seawater with it." Will said. " Now it says first we add the tears." He added, handing the vial and the bottle to Elizabeth. Elizabeth poured her tears into the bottle, and handed it to Angelica.

"Ok, now Angelica, give me your hand" Will said as he put the book down. "This might hurt." He warned. Angelica gave him her hand and looked away. She didn't like the sight of blood, especially her own. Will pulled out his knife.

Alex who was still on the stairs gasped but couldn't look away.

"Ok, relax you arm" He said before he quickly cut her hand.

"Ay!" Angelica tried to yank her hand back, but Will had a strong grip on it. She gave Will the bottle, and he squeezed her hand until some blood fell into the bottle. She winced and quickly pulled her hand back as soon as he released it. "Angelica!" Alex said as he ran to her from the stairs "Are you ok?" He asked concerned. All four of them turned to see Alex now standing beside them.

"Yes, I'm fine" Angelica gave a slight smile before wincing again at the pain in her hand.

"Here, you should wrap it up." Elizabeth suggested and motioned for Angelica to give her her hand. Elizabeth carefully wrapped it in a small cloth.

"There you go" Elizabeth smiled before turning to Alex.

"Thanks" Angelica said, trying forget about the pain.

"What are you doing down here?" Elizabeth asked Alex who was now watching Jack wince at the expression of pain on Angelica's face.

"I wanted to see what you were going to do to my friend Jack" Alex answered plainly.

"Ok well you can watch if you want. Just sit over there." He said pointing to a barrel in the corner.

"Ok" Alex sighed and went to sit on the barrel.

Will turned back to Angelica and Elizabeth "So that is the tears, the rum, the water, and the blood." Will said then turned to Jack who was standing besides Angelica. "Ok, the book said after that, Jack would have to be in the same place as his body. Jack go lie down."

"Aye 'sir'" Jack smirked as he walked over to his body. He sat down, and swung his legs over onto the crates where his body was lying.

"Now drink this" Will said as he started handing Jack the bottle. Surprisingly, Jack was able to hold it. To Elizabeth and Angelica, the bottle looked like it was floating. Expressions of wonder and slight confusion spread over their faces.

"Bottoms up" Will chuckled as Jack began to drink the mixture.

Jack drank the entire contents of the bottle. His vision began to blur and he dropped the bottle. It crashed to the floor and shattered into a million tiny little pieces. Jack passed out and fell back onto the crates. Alex jumped, Elizabeth and Angelica took a step back, but Will seemed unphased.

"What happened?" Angelica sounded concerned.

"Jack passed out." Will said, "He is now in the same place as his body, so you should be able to finish the ritual." He continued.

"was that supposed to happen?" Elizabeth asked.

"I don't know, but the book says that once the spirit drinks the mixture, their lover must kiss them while they occupy the same space as their body." Will explained, "And since he now is, Angelica need only kiss him, and he should come back." They both turned to Angelica, before they motioned to Alex to go with them. They left Angelica alone with Jack as they walked back to the upper deck.

She slowly walked up besides Jack. His face was pale, but he looked peaceful.

"Oh Jack." She whispered as tears started running down her face. She leaned over and put her lips to his, and closed her eyes. Jack's eyes flickered open. He wasn't sure if he was still a ghost or not. Then realized that Angelica was kissing him. He moved one hand to her waist and brought the other to back of her head, and kissed her back. Her eyes snapped pushed herself off him, he hit his head on the crate.  
"Ow.." Jack said softly rubbing his head. "What was that for? I was enjoying that" He smirked.

"Jack!" She almost jumped on him as she hugged him. "Your alive!"

"Aye luv, I'm back" He smiled. "Now could ye let me go? Yer crushin me luv" he chuckled.

"Sorry" She mumbled as she let him go. Tears of joy now running down her face.

"Now can ye help me up?" He asked, being without a body for a few days had left him with little strength.

"Of course" She helped him up and he put an arm around her for support.

She helped him up the stairs and out onto the deck. Will, Elizabeth and Alex were all standing at the helm looking out over the sea with grim expressions on their faces.

"Oi!" Jack tried to yell up to them. They all turned, and smiles spread across their faces. They all rushed down to Jack and Angelica.

"Jack!" Will smiled widely. "It worked, You're back!"

"Aye, I'm back" Jack smiled.

"Jack, I've missed you" Elizabeth smiled, but at that Angelica rolled her eyes.

"Aye, its been too long" Jack joked.

"Jack are you feeling better?" Alex asked.

"Aye lad, I'm feeling better." Jack ruffled his hair.

"What are you going to do now Jack?" Elizabeth asked curious if he had a plan for the near future, or if he was just going to wing it.

"Err, I dunno." He glanced at Angelica who smiled at him.

"Well, we can decide these things tomorrow, Jack, I'm sure could use some rest." Will smirked.

"Aye, I be needin some rest" Jack agreed. Will walked back up to the helm, followed soon after by Elizabeth.

"I'll see you later Jack" Alex said before running after his parents. Jack nodded.

"He's a good lad." Jack said turning to Angelica.

"Aye he is" She agreed before regaining her focus on Jack., "You have to go rest." Angelica reminded him.

Angelica helped Jack into the cabin where she had been staying for the past few days. She let go of him so he would lie down on the bed, but he was still holding onto her for balance.

"Jack you have to let go of me. Get in bed. You need to sleep." Angelica said.

"And what if I don't want to let ye go?" Jack smiled widely at her.

"Jack, don't make me push you into that bed" She threatened playfully.

"ye couldn't get me to lie down if ye tried." Jack mocked.

"Wanna bet?" She gave him a shove, and over he went. She had forgotten that he was still holding onto her until she fell over as well. Angelica landed right on top of him on the bed.

"Did ye gain some weight luv?" He moaned jokingly from underneath her.

"No Jack, you are just not as strong as you thought" She smiled not really wanting to move, but Jack wrapped his arms around her and slid her off him.

"I've missed you Jack" She whispered as Jack pulled her closer to him. She yawned and stretched out her arms before wrapping them around Jack.

"I missed ye too, luv" He smiled before he closed his eyes. He actually was tired and it was not long before they both fell asleep in each others embrace.

* * *

Jack woke up the next morning, Angelica's head was resting on his shoulder, and her arms were draped across his chest. He shifted slightly trying not to wake her. He brushed some strands of hair off of her face. He thought she looked peacefully stunning. He shifted again before kissing her lightly on the forehead. He began thinking about where he was going to go and what he was going to do, and how he could be sure to keep Angelica with him forever. He promised himself that he would not leave her again, and under no circumstances was he going to intentionally or otherwise hurt her again. He has left her and vise versa so many times he didn't want it to happen again. But, how could he make sure she didn't leave him instead? Maybe Will will know, yes, I'll ask him, he seems to know a lot about relationships, he thought. Angelica stirred slightly interrupting Jack's thoughts about their future.

"Jack?" She whispered softly.

"Aye luv. I'm here. What is it?" He whispered.

"Don't ever leave" She whispered.

"I won't luv, I promise." He said softly. "But, I am going to get some fresh air" He said as he tried to get out of her grasp.

"No, stay. You don't have to get up yet" She willed him to stay.

"Ok luv, but only for a few minutes. I have to speak with Will." Jack said as she curled up next to him again.

"About what?" She spoke, keeping her eyes closed.

"Nothing of importance, there are just some things I need to discuss" Jack thought back to how he could ensure that she stayed with him.

"Ok, but you know I will find out sooner or later what you are hiding" She smiled.

"I'm not hidin anythin" He defended before she rolled over to look into his eyes.

"I know you Jack, don't forget that" she smiled. "I know you are so don't lie about it, cause I will find out eventually" She continued.

"Aye, but it isn't important right now" He leaned in to kiss her. He closed his eyes and pressed his lips to hers. He had to talk to Will. He couldn't lose this, he thought referring to Angelica. He pulled back, and got up.

"Jack? where are you going?" She asked slightly annoyed that he decided to get up.

"I told ye already, I must speak to Will" Jack said as he pulled on his boots.

"Fine" She pouted.

He turned to her and lifted her face to look at him.

"Its ok luv, I'm not leavin. I'm only gunna be talkin to Will." Jack said before walking out of the room.

She was still curious about the nature of his 'discussion' with Will so she got up and put on her boots, jacket and hat before too exiting the room. She walked on deck carefully not be noticed by Jack who was now standing at the helm next to Will. She crept closer until she was standing almost right underneath them and in perfect position to hear their conversation.

"Good Morning isn't it." Will said to Jack who did not seem to share his enthusiasm.

"Aye, that it is. How was yer evening with Mrs. Turner?" Jack smirked.

"Well, you know Jack. I love her. That will never change no matter the distance between us. I just don't want to have to leave her again." Will sighed. "What about you? I mean I guess you probably didn't have much of an evening cause you were so tired."

"Aye, I fell asleep pretty quickly." Jack said. "But, I know what ye mean. I luv Angelica, and nothing could keep me from her. That is, nothing but herself." Jack continued.

"What do you mean?" Will asked slightly confused. Angelica, who was still listening from below, was also wondering that same thing.

"I luv her, and I promised me self I would not leave her again. But I can't help it if she leaves me." Jack said grimly. "If she leaves, I don't know what I would do with me self. But if she stays with me and gets hurt or killed, I wouldn't be able to live me self either." He sighed.

"Thats why you were going to leave her on that island? Isn't it. You were trying to protect her by leaving her there." Will realized.

He was really trying to protect me? He thought I would be better off without him? She didn't know what to say, she just wanted to hug him. However, what she wanted more was to know what he was going to say now, so she remained hidden for the time being.

"Aye, I don't know what I can do to keep her here with me, I don't want her to leave, but I don't want her to get hurt. What do I do?" Jack almost begged for an answer. Will thought for a moment.

"Well, you could...nevermind, that might not work" Will kept thinking.

"What? what won't work?" Jack asked desperate for a solution.

"Well, I was going to say you could ask her to marry you, then, I doubt she would be able to make herself leave you." Will suggested. Jack stiffened, that was crazy, he couldn't marry her. She would never agree to it, would she? He didn't know. He never really like the idea of marriage, even though he had actually asked her before.

"No. No. No. Will. She would never agree to that. She would walk away, and she would be gone for sure. I asked her before and she rejected me, not long after that, she left. I will not let that happen again." Jack said almost considering Will's idea. Angelica heard this and was immediately confused at what would make him think that. She had left him in the past after he asked her, but she wasn't planning on leaving him now. Why wouldn't I marry him? Then she thought back to all those times that he had hurt her. The tone in Will's voice interrupted her thoughts, and she refocused on their conversation.

"Jack. I'm married, and even though I am always out of her reach, she still loves me. If you ask her, it will show her that you are truly devoted to her. She will not leave if you ask her to stay with you." Will tried to convince him it was a good idea. "As for her safety though. I cannot say being with you would be the best option. But you cannot protect her forever. If she decides to stay, you have to remember that." He continued.

"Aye, yer right Will. I can't protect her forever." Jack sighed. "Thanks for yer help. Now, all I got to do is ask her." He was not looking forward to that, because he did not want to her leave him, again. He winced at the thought.

"It won't be that hard Jack. Just go up to her later, tell her how you feel, and what you're afraid of. Then ask her, and she more than likely will make the right decision to accept your proposal." Will assured him. "Besides, when she says 'yes', you can be married within the hour. Right on this deck." Will chuckled and Jack nodded.

"Will, have ye not noticed that I am not the best when it comes to feelings?" Jack said still unsure about this plan of theirs.

"Yes Jack, I know. All the more reason she should believe you when you say you love her." Will said "Unless you were lying to her." He raised an eyebrow at him. Angelica was still listening intently to their conversation. Oh god. What if he was lying? What would happen? What would she do? She hadn't thought of it before. She desperately awaited his response.

"No of course I was not lying to her. Ye people are always surprised when I tell the truth." Jack said before rolling his eyes. Angelica gave a silent sigh of relief. Well thats good, she thought.

"Well, then you should trust her to trust you." Will assured him. Jack nodded and grinned.

"Will, today will be a good day" Jack said finally deciding that he should go ahead with the plan. "Its getting late, she can't sleep all day. I'm going to go get her up." He said as he started walking down the stairs to the main deck where Angelica happened to be. Uh oh, now what? There was no way for her to get past him without him seeing her.

"Jack!" Will called from the helm. Jack turned around to face Will, and Angelica took this opportunity to scurry back into the cabin. Will saw her. Oh no. Thats not good, he thought. She heard everything. That could either be very good, or very bad for Jack, yet it was too soon to tell. He decided it would be best not to tell him.

"What is it?" Jack asked " Spit it out, we're burnin daylight here." Will was lost for words and forgot what he was going to say.

"Err nevermind." Will said nervously. Jack noticed this sudden change in his voice, and walked back up the stairs to face him.

"Will! Speak man! What is it?" Jack said now curious as to why Will seemed distracted.

"Jack, its nothing I swear." Will lied, believing it would better if Jack didn't know. Jack could tell that he was lying and wouldn't tell him, so he decided to leave it.

"Fine. Don't tell me now, but mark my words, I will find out." Jack warned before walking back down the stairs towards their cabin.


	17. Chapter 21

Angelica quickly ripped off her boots, jacket, and hat, before jumping back into the bed. Just as she had, Jack walked back into the room. She pretended to be just waking up from his entrance.

"Jack?" She whispered trying to sound half asleep.

"Aye luv, it's just me." He smiled trying to imagine her as his wife. It was hard to picture.

"How was your talk with Will?" She asked wondering what he would say to cover it up.

"It was fine luv. Will just helped me figure some things out." He said softly as he sat next to her on the bed.

"What kind of things?" Angelica continued to see if she could get him to tell her.

"Oh, just some suggestions about the future" He smiled at her and brushed some of the hair off of her face.

"Ah, and what does the future entail?" She could see in his eyes that he was not sure if he should tell her.

"That depends" He said slyly "That depends on yer answer to my question"

"And what question would that be?" Angelica was almost excited, until she remembered who she was talking to. This was Jack Sparrow, he wouldn't ask her like that.

"Do ye trust me?" He asked. She sighed, regretting that she did all to quickly, cause he noticed that she seemed disappointed.

"Yes. Jack I trust you. Why?" She knew why he asked, but still she wanted to know how he would lie to her.

"It's just um. well.. No reason." He thought about asking her then, but then decided that it was not the opportune moment.

"Fine, don't ask me then, I can wait, but I won't wait forever" She muttered, as she quickly got up, and put on her jacket, boots, and hat again. She was about to walk out of the room but Jack stopped her.

"What was that luv?" He asked now standing in front of her.

"I said that I hoped today would be a good day." She lied smiling sweetly before walking past him and out onto the main deck. Jack frowned and followed closely behind her. Will was still at the helm, but now he was accompanied by Alex. Alex saw them and waved excitedly.

"Good morning lad" Jack smiled and ruffled Alex's hair when he reached the top of the stairs.

"Good morning Jack" Alex replied. "And good morning to you as well Ms. Angelica." He said sweetly.

"Good morning Alex" She said with fake enthusiasm. "And to you Will" She nodded.

"Err, well, yes..good morning Angelica" Will avoided eye contact with her, and Jack noticed.

"Will?" Jack questioned his sudden nervousness in front of Angelica.

"What is it Jack?" Will asked.

"Yes Jack, what is it?" Angelica was wondering what he was going to say.

"Uh, nevermind, I'll talk to ye about it later." Jack mumbled.

"So what do we have planned for today?" Angelica asked Will who was still not looking at her.

"Unfortunately, my wife and son have to be taken back to land today. Other than that, I guess Jack might have an idea." Will said, and at that Jack scowled at him. Angelica was just about to question Jack, but Alex started talking first.

"Awe Dad, do I have to go back with Mom? I want to stay here with you and Jack, and Angelica." Alex wined. Will knelt down in front of him.

"Now Alex, you have to be strong for your mother. You are the man of the house while I'm gone. It is too dangerous for you to stay here. I need to know you are safe." Will said, and Alex looked down. Will lifted his head to look into his eyes. "I need to know that you will look after your mother for me. Promise?"

"Aye sir, I promise" Alex said sadly before turning to Jack. "Jack even if I go can we still be friends?"

"Aye lad," Jack smiled.

"I'll go wake Elizabeth, she's worse than you, you know. She always has to sleep in." Will joked smiling at Angelica.

"What? Worse than who?" Elizabeth said smiling as she walked up the stairs.

"Oh good yer awake." Jack said "Now lets get ye and yer son to shore" He continued.

"Lower the longboat" Will shouted to his crew before turning to Elizabeth.

"Will, I love you." She said giving him a hug before they walked down to the longboat.

"I love you too." He said before turning to his son. "You behave now." He said.

"I love you Dad." Alex's eyes started to water.

"I love you to son." He gave him a hug, then walked him down to the main deck.

Jack climbed down and got in the small boat. Elizabeth came next followed by Alex.

"Angelica will ye be coming with us?" Jack yelled up to her.

"Aye," She said as she climbed into the boat next to Jack.

Elizabeth and Alex waved to Will as Jack began rowing them to the docks.

* * *

Jack tied the boat to the dock while Angelica helped Alex and Elizabeth out.

"Now what is to become of the mighty Jack Sparrow?" Elizabeth asked as they began their walk back to their house.

"We'll be headin to tortuga. I got to get me ship back." Jack said remembering that he had sent Gibbs to get the Black Pearl. He only need find him, and figure out how to free it from that bottle.

"What happened to your ship this time?" Elizabeth asked remembering when she first met Jack who was trying to get his ship back then too.

"Oh, ye know, some voodoo magic was used on it. Now it be stuck in a bottle, and I need to get it out." He explained.

"And what do you know of voodoo magic?" Elizabeth chuckled.

"Not much, but I got her, savvy" He said nodding to Angelica. "Ye know how to get it out don't ye? I mean it was yer father who stuck it in there anyways, eh" He hadn't really been thinking about his ship lately and only now did he realize that he had no idea how to free it.

"Aye, I might be able to help you" Angelica said, but she knew it wouldn't be easy. In order to free it, they would need the incantation used to bottle it in the first place, which happened to still be on the Queen Anne's Revenge. The ship that is now captained by Barbossa. It would be no easy task, but she decided that she would tell Jack later.

"Ye see. I told ye she knows." He smiled.

They continued walking until they reached their house.

"Well, I guess this is goodbye Jack." Elizabeth said. "I have no doubt that we shall meet again"

"Aye, ye have not seen the last of ol' Captain Jack." He said as she hugged him goodbye. Angelica rolled her eyes.

"Goodbye Angelica" Elizabeth said giving her a hug as well. "By the way, You and Jack go well together, don't let him forget that" She whispered so Jack couldn't hear.

"Aye, and thanks for your help bringing him back" Angelica replied before letting go of Elizabeth and turning to hug Alex.

"Goodbye Ms. Angelica, I'll miss you" Alex said as he hugged her too.

"Goodbye Alex," She said sweetly as she released him from her arms.

"Jack. You never told me about your adventures." Alex whimpered before hugging Jack as well.

"Err, well, yer mother can tell them better than me anyways, ye would much rather hear them from her." Jack said as ruffled his hair.

"I will miss you Jack" Alex said still hugging him.

"Aye lad," Jack pulled Alex off of him and lifted his face to look into his eyes. "We will meet again lad, mark me words" Jack said and Alex smiled.

Elizabeth and Alex waved as Jack and Angelica turned to leave.

"Now where are we going?" Angelica looked to Jack as the continued walking down the street.

"It seems a waste of trip into town if we don't stop for a drink" Jack grinned.

"Fine, one drink. No more." Angelica said sternly.

"Aye, luv. One drink , ye have my word" Jack smiled. "Ah this place looks nice" He said as he grabbed her arm and led her into the pub.

It smelled of sweat, and rum. The air was heavy, and the place was filthy. Jack let go of her arm and left her to go order a drink. "I'll have a rum, and a glass of wine" He told the bartender knowing that Angelica did not like rum as he did.

"Aye sir, one rum and a wine coming right up" The bartender said before ducking behind the counter.

While Jack was waiting at the bar, Angelica decided to find a table near the back of the place. It was crowded and loud in there, and she couldn't ever understand why people enjoyed that kind of atmosphere. She made her way to the back, trying to avoid bumping into people as she went. She looked back at Jack, who was still at the bar, as she continued walking. She turned around again only to find herself bumping into a man, causing him to spill his drink.

"Oi, who do you think you are?" The man said angrily as he turned around to face her.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to…" Angelica paused recognizing the man. "Ricardo?" Her eyes widened.

"Oh, Angelica, what a pleasant surprise. You know you ought to be more careful where you're walkin" He said before pulling her into a hug. She tried to resist, but he was too strong for her so she stopped trying.

"Aye, I told you that I'd see you again before I left, did I not?" She smiled as he let go of her.

He walked her over to a table and they sat down.

"So, what you been doing with yourself all these years Angie?" He said sweetly.

"Not that much, just a few adventures here and there, like I said the other day." She replied unenthusiastically since she hated being called that.

"Aye, I remember. I also remember you sayin that you fell in love with someone, but you weren't sure it would turn out. Who is this guy anyways? You know, if he hurts you I'll kill him" He said with a slight tone of jealousy.

"No, he is a good man, uh he is actually right over…" She turned and tried to spot Jack whom she thought was still at the bar but now wasn't. "Where did he go?"

"Where did who go luv?" Jack asked, now standing directly behind her, causing her to jump.

"What, no one, I mean I was looking for you" Angelica said, wondering how she didn't see him leave the bar.

"Aye, here's some wine luv, I know ye don't drink rum" He said handing her the glass of wine, before noticing the man she had been talking to, "And who might you be?" He asked, noticing the man was familiar yet he couldn't remember his name.

"I am Ricardo." The man said proudly, "And who might you be?" he said raising an eyebrow.

"I am Captain Jack Sparrow. Savvy?" Jack said before pulling up a chair.

Ricardo looked back at Angelica who was looking down.

"This guy? You're trying to tell me you fell in love with this guy?" Ricardo said in disbelief.

"Aye" Angelica mumbled not wanting to take part in this conversation.

"I don't believe this. I am twice the man this guy is. And have I not known you longer?" Ricardo stood, full of jealousy and hatred of Jack.

"Oi, ye don't know who yer insultin lad" Jack stood up in defense.

"Aye, that I do." Ricardo growled "I know all about you Captain Jack"

"Do you now? Lets hear it then. Out with it. What do ye think ye know about me" Jack challenged.

"I know how you left Angie before, and I also know that people don't change. I won't let you hurt her again" With that Ricardo pulled out his sword, and pointed it at Jack.

"Ye told him?" Jack said turning to Angelica who ignored him, then back to Ricardo "I have no wish to repeat that mate" Jack snarled and too pulled out his sword.

"Will you two shut it?" Angelica was now standing as well.

"No" The two men replied simultaneously.

"Then at least take it outside." She said angrily as she marched them outside of the pub and into the street. She stood between them, knowing that neither of them would harm her.

"Angie, he is no good for you" Ricardo said angrily.

"And ye think ye are better do ye?" Jack replied.

"Better than you yes. If Angie wasn't standin there you would already be dead!" Ricardo spat.

"Shall we test that theory?" Jack challenged as he stepped forwards pushing Angelica behind him.

"Aye!" Ricardo lunged with his sword high. Jack deflected, the sound of swords clashing filled the air, as they continued to fight. Jack lunged and Ricardo dodged. They continued to fight, Jack having better skill, and more agility gave him the advantage over his larger opponent. Angelica couldn't believe she was watching this. Why did Ricardo have to get Jack so riled up?

"Ow" Ricardo yelled, causing Angelica to snap out of her thought and look up.

Ricardo was now on the ground after being kicked in the stomach by Jack, who now had both his own and Ricardo's sword. Oh no, please don't kill him Jack, she thought. She couldn't watch, so she looked away as Jack slowly walked up to Ricardo.

"Do you fear death mate?" Jack asked smugly. Angelica heard this and winced. She walked a few steps away so she wouldn't have to hear his last words. She was sure Jack was going to kill him.

"Never!" Ricardo spat.

"Well then, if ye don't fear death then there be no point in killen ye" Jack said sheathing his sword, and dropping Ricardo's to the ground near him.

"What?" Ricardo looked up at Jack with a confused look on his face.

"If ye don't fear somethin, then its not much torture to make ye face it then is it? B'sides I couldn't kill me luv's friend right in front of her. She'd leave me for sure mate." Jack said offering his hand to help him up.

"You are a smart guy" Ricardo said taking his hand and standing up.

"Aye, I know" Jack said before turning to Angelica who was looking away.

Ricardo dusted himself off, and Jack walked over to Angelica. He turned her around, only to see tears running down her face.

"What is it luv?" Jack asked concerned and slightly confused by her tears.

"Why did you have to kill him?" She mumbled through her tears.

"What are ye talkin about? He's right there" Jack said and pointed to Ricardo who only had minor scratches on his face and hands.

"What?" She stopped crying, confused by him not killing her friend. "Why didn't you kill him?"

"What? Did ye want me to? Cause I still can" Jack chuckled.

"No, but...you never hesitate to kill anyone who makes you angry" Angelica was still confused.

"Aye, that be true, but if said person happens to be a friend of yers I can't very well kill im can I?" Jack said putting an arm around her.

"Oi, Ricardo" Jack said as they walked over to him "Sorry bout that mate, no hard feelins? eh"

"Not so long as you take care of Angie" He chuckled, and Jack nodded.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Angelica asked concerned.

"Aye, I'll be fine, You take care now." He said.

"I assume your ship is leaving today?" She asked and he nodded.

"I may never see you again, so here take this." He said as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small silver necklace. "I want you to have it" He said handing it to her.

"Oh, its beautiful, but I can't accept this" She said trying to hand it back to him until she realized that he wouldn't take it.

"Please keep it." He smiled.

"Jack, will you help me put it on?" Angelica asked handing Jack the necklace.

"Of course luv," He said as he moved the hair from around her neck. He put his arms around her and fastened the necklace. She always looks stunning, he thought.

"Thanks," She smiled. "Well, I guess this is goodbye Ricardo. We have to go."

"Goodbye Angie, take care of yerself" He said as Jack and Angelica turned to walk away towards the docks.

"Jack?" She looked at him, his expression was calm, and content.

"Aye?" He turned his head to look at her as they kept walking.

"You aren't jealous are you?" She asked curiously.

"Not at all luv." He said. "Should I be?" He raised an eyebrow at her.


	18. Chapter 22

"Thanks Jack" Angelica said as they approached the docks.

"For what?" Jack said before he untied the little boat and helped her in.

"For not killing him." She replied.

"Aye luv, yer welcome." He smirked as he too got in the boat. "Anythin to keep ye happy" he continued as he began their long row back to the ship.

It was still early in the afternoon by the time they returned to the Dutchman. They climbed aboard and saw Will still standing at the helm. Does he ever do anything else, Jack wondered as he walked up next to him, leaving Angelica on the main deck. She decided to walk to the bow of the ship. She thought the view was beautiful from down there.

Meanwhile, back at the helm..

"Will, you look tired, perhaps you should go lie down." Jack said turning to face him.

"What? I'm fine Jack." He said not sure why he was concerned.

"No, yer not fine. Ye look paler than a ghost, and ye got dark circles under yer eyes. Now, go lie down. Or at least tell me what's wrong." Jack demanded.

"It's just that, I only met Alex today. I've already missed the first five or so years of his life, and I will never be around to see him grow up." Will said clearly depressed. "And Elizabeth, I cannot be there for her. She has to raise our son all by herself, she has no other family" He covered his face in his hands and sighed.

"Oi Will. I understand. But Alex is a strong lad, and Elizabeth, if I know her at all, she is more than capable of taking care of herself and Alex. Don't worry mate, they will be fine." Jack said patting Will on the back.

"No Jack! You don't understand!" Will yelled, causing Jack to jump back, and Angelica to turn around. What were they yelling about now? She couldn't help it, she wanted to know, so she walked back up to where they were. She figured that neither of them would notice if she sat on the stairs next to them since they were arguing so loudly.

"You have no family Jack! No wife who loves you and wishes you could be there to comfort her. No children wishing they could see you every day. No one depends on you Jack. You are alone! You couldn't possibly understand what its like to be a father, or a husband! You have no idea!" Will shouted, Jack looked away and sighed. Angelica was astounded at what she just heard Will say. She knew he had hurt Jack. Jack was very strong, but when it came to things like that, she knew he would have a hard time handling it.

"Aye Will. Yer right." Jack sighed again "I have no family. I don't have a wife who loves me. I don't have kids who want me to play with them. No one on this god damned planet gives a damn about me. So yer right Will, I am alone, and I couldn't possibly understand what you are going through because I have no one, savvy!" Jack was furious, and hurt by what he had said, but had no intentions of continuing the conversation any longer. He turned on his heels and stomped his way down the stairs past Angelica and walked himself all the way to the bow.

As soon as she couldn't see him anymore, Angelica stood up, she too was hurt by what Will had said, so she was going to follow Jack, but instead walked up to Will first. He had hoped she hadn't heard any of that but of course she did.

"Angelica wait, I didn't mean.." He started to say before she slapped him in the face.

"That was for Jack!" She said before slapping him in the face again, "And that was for me!"

"Ow, Angelica I didn't mean it." He tried to sound sorry as she turned to walk away from him to go after Jack.

"Shut it. Of course you didn't mean it. Thats why you yelled at him while he was trying to comfort you. Oh yes of course you didn't mean it. " She said sarcastically before she quickly walked away.

"You have no idea what you have done to him" She yelled from the bottom of the stairs.

Will covered his face in his hands knowing that he made a mistake.

Angelica walked up to the bow where she saw Jack sitting on the rail with his legs hanging off the edge.

"Jack?" She said softly as to not scare him with her presence.

"Jack? What are you doing?" She was concerned, he was sitting motionless except for his breathing.

"Aye luv, what is it?" He said softly without turning.

"Are you ok?" She asked hoping he would just tell her the truth.

"Aye luv, I'm fine" He barely whispered.

"I heard your argument. Are you sure you're ok" She was not convinced.

"Oh, ye heard. Ye must think I'm a bloody selfish git" He mumbled.

"No Jack. I don't." She said stepping closer to him. "I can't believe he said that to you."

"Aye, well. It's the truth ain't it, so ye can't blame him for that" Jack mumbled again.

"No, Jack. I care about you. You aren't alone. You have me." She said as she stepped beside him and put her arms around him.

"No luv, ye see, I am alone. Will is right. No one really needs me. " Jack said grimly as he lifted a pistol to his face.

"Oh my god Jack! Put that down!" She yelled jumping back. "Jack...for me... please I am begging you. Put the gun down!"

"Why should I?" He muttered.

"Jack. I love you. Look at me and tell me we don't have a future together." She said looking into his dark brown eyes.

"I truly hoped we would luv, but …" He paused thinking back to what he promised himself the other day about how he didn't want to leave her again.

"I need you Jack." She said interrupting his thoughts.

"Do you now?" He said looking deep into her eyes. "Ye can take care of yerself can't ye?"

"Aye, but I don't want to live without you" Angelica said as she looked down, now on the verge of tears.

"Aye, nor do I luv," Jack said changing his mind, he lifted the gun away from his face and pointed it out to sea. He fired, before swinging his legs back over onto the ship. Angelica immediately looked up only to be pulled into a hug.

"Oi, what's the matter luv?" He said softly.

"Why would you scare me like that?" She asked hugging him tighter.

"I don't know." He looked away. "I guess I forgot for a moment that there is at least one person who cares about me. Me dad. He's still around you know." He chuckled looking back at Angelica, but she did not look pleased. She was about to say something but Jack continued talking before she could speak.

"Only kidding luv" He smiled at her, and her expression relaxed. "I remembered that I promised to never leave ye again, and by god I will stand by it, mark my words" He continued.

Once again Angelica found herself about to answer him, but yet again she was interrupted.

"Jack!" Will called as he walked up to them. They both turned to see who it was.

"Aye? Oh... you, what do ye want boy?" Jack sneered.

"I heard a gunshot. Are you both ok?" Will asked sounding genuinely concerned.

"Aye, why do you care?" Angelica stepped out from behind Jack making Will take a step back.

"I just wanted to make sure neither of you were hurt." Will said apologetically.

"Well, if you must know, Jack almost shot off his own head cause of you, but other than that we're both great." Angelica said sarcastically.

"What?" Will was surprised that Jack had been so bothered by what he had said. "Why?" but of course he already knew the answer.

"Why do you think?" Angelica raised her voice again. "because of your little temper tantrum" She continued.

Will looked at Jack who seemed to be thinking about something other than this conversation.

"You were _that _upset, Jack?" Will asked "Since when do you let things like that bother you?" he continued.

Enough of this, why couldn't the whelp ever shut up, he wondered. Jack stepped towards Will, pushing Angelica behind him.

"Oi, Will, shut it. " Jack had had enough of him for one day. " If you must know, things of that nature always bother me, I can just make meself forget about it, but not when she's around" He nodded to Angelica.

"Oh, Jack, I'm…" He was about to apologize before Jack interrupted him.

"Here's what's goin to happen." Jack said still irritated. "We are sailin to tortuga where we will spit company. Ye can go back to collectin souls or whatever it is ye do, and Angelica and I will be goin after Mr. Gibbs who should be in possession of the pearl. Savvy" Jack said about to walk away before Will stopped him.

"How can you be sure Gibbs is in tortuga?" Will asked skeptically.

"Well lets just see shall we." Jack said as he pulled out his compass, "The thing I want most is to find Gibbs" He said as he watched his compass point behind him. He turned to look; the compass pointed unwaveringly at Angelica. Will noticed and chuckled. Angelica looked confused.

"What?" She asked.

"Uh, it's nuthin luv," He said before quickly turning around again.

"looks like you're lying to yourself mate." Wil said smugly.

"Ugh, it always does that. Here ye want us off yer ship right?" Jack smirked "Well the way to do that is for us to find Gibbs." He said turning back to Will handing him the compass. The needle spun and spun until it stopped pointing back towards Port Royal.

"It's no use Jack, thats where Elizabeth is." Will sighed. "So it won't work for you, or me, and most likely not her either, how are we going to find Gibbs now?" He said watching Jack who appeared to be thinking.

"What do you mean the compass isn't working?" Angelica had not really been paying attention. Jack turned back to her with a devious look in his eye.

"What is it that you want most" He asked her as he handed her the compass. They all watched the needle spin before landing on Jack. He saw this and quickly stepped to the side, but the needle moved with him.

"See, I told you it wouldn't work." Will said as Jack sighed taking the compass back from Angelica.

"Will, just take us to tortuga so we can get off this bloody ship" Jack said walking away irritated. Angelica followed him, and Will walked up to the helm.

"Weigh anchor and make sail for tortuga!" Will ordered his crew.


	19. Chapter 23

**A/N OK, sorry it has been a few days, but I had some difficulty writing this chapter. Some people requested more 'fluff' in the story between Jack and Angelica. I assumed 'fluff' means more close scenes/romantic moments between them; that is not my strong suite so idk how this chapter turned out seeing how that is the basis for the entire chapter. I have no idea how it is. Also, warning, even though there is virtually no detail at all, it gets a bit steamy, but nothing too drastic. Anyways, I am curious to know what you all think about this chapter. (I already know that I'm not good at writing close scenes) so what ever it is that you say about it, I can handle it, so feel free to be critical. lol. ;) Without further a due, please _try_ to enjoy this chapter, and feel free to review. :)**

* * *

It was still early in the evening, but with the swordfight he had with Ricardo, the long row to and from Port Royal, and the argument he had with Will, Jack was tired. He walked straight to the cabin to lie down. He walked in and immediately threw off his hat, jacket and shirt, then kicked off his boots before flopping over on the bed. He only wished he had some rum, or some company, but he was so tired that he almost instantly fell into a light asleep. Angelica came in only moments later, she too was tired and was going to lie down, but Jack was sprawled out over the whole bed. She decided she didn't care, she would just push him off the bed if wouldn't move. She took off her hat, jacket and boots and climbed into the bed next to Jack.

"Oi, who's there" He mumbled, rolling over.

"Who do you think, genius" Angelica said slightly annoyed that he couldn't guess it was her. "Now move over"

"Fine" he grumbled moving over slightly, but soon relaxed again.

"Thats better" She said as she curled up next to him. "Jack?"

"Aye?" He said putting an arm around her.

"Are you ok?" She asked.

"I am now luv," He smiled, "I am now" He said looking into her eyes, he couldn't have been happier in that moment. She shifted to rest her head on his shoulder.

"mm, Jack, have I told you I love you?" She smiled against the warmth of his skin.

"Well, ye could say it more often" He joked, "Aye, luv, I know, as do I" He said in all seriousness.

"Elizabeth said we went well together" she yawned.

"Eh? Did she now" Jack chuckled. "Well, at least she's right about somthin"

"Then why aren't we together Jack?" She asked, not really sure where she was going with it.

"What do ye mean luv? Yer here aren't ye, or is this a dream?" He was now confused. Why did she always have to do that? Why couldn't she just get to the point.

"No, Jack this is real." She said plainly. "But, we aren't really together are we?"

"What are ye goin on about, of course we are" He said still unsure what she was talking about.

"But there is no us, its just you and me." She said softly.

"luv, you plus me equals us, so what are ye talkin about?" He just wanted her to tell him so he didn't have to decipher what she was trying to say.

"but Jack, we aren't…" She trailed off.

"What is it? We aren't ...what?" He asked now enthralled with this confusing conversation and he had to know what she was trying to say. He didn't get it.

"We aren't really anything." She said not sure how else to describe their relationship.

"Luv, what does that even mean?" He said trying to figure it out. "It is clear that ye want something, now what ever it is, ye can tell me without all of these riddles. Now I ask again, what is it?" He just wanted to know, he sensed she was troubled and he needed to know why.

"Jack I know how you feel about this, but I want this - us, I want to be official...I wan to uh, never mind, forget it" She mumbled, although not quietly enough to go unnoticed by Jack. He sat up and looked at her.

"Luv, just tell me, what is it?" He smiled as he brushed some of her hair out of her face.

"Jack, maybe we should get married." She blurted out, she hadn't planned on saying that although she was thinking it. Jack froze, and looked away.

"What?" He mumbled surprised by what she had just said. He started thinking about how great it would be. But, he had a blank look on his face and must have been thinking too long when he noticed Angelica frowned.

"I said never mind." She grumbled and rolled over to hide her expression of disappointment.

"What?" He said snapping out of his thoughts. "No, what? yes, sure we can if ye want"

Angelica was too deep in her own thoughts. How could she be so ignorant again? Why even bother suggesting that? Stupid.

"What, aren't ye happy? I just agreed, and ye won't even look at me?" He said confused by her reaction.

"What?" She said not paying much attention to what he just said.

"Ugh fine." He said rolling his eyes as he got up. He walked to her side of the bed and knelt down. He pulled a ring off his finger.

"Jack? What are you doing?" She questioned as she sat up to look at him.

He cleared his throat so he could attempt to speak clearly.

"Angelica, err I mean, Ms Teach. Will ye marry me?" He asked.

"Get up Jack. You don't mean it." She said still thinking about his lack of reaction only moments ago.

"How dare ye question my integrity." He said almost hurt by her words. "I mean it with all my soul luv, I would not have asked ye otherwise" He smiled at her.

"Do you really?" She was still skeptical of his sudden proposal. "Why are you only asking me now?"

"Does it matter luv?" He tried to maintain his smile "If ye must know, ye never seemed interested in it before now so I never brought it up after last time." She still didn't seem convinced so he thought back to a conversation they had earlier in the day for inspiration.

"Ye asked me earlier if I thought we would have a future together. I do, and here is yer proof." He said in a last attempt to rid her of her skepticism. "So what do ye say? Want to Mrs. Sparrow?" He chuckled, he couldn't ever imagine her answering to that name.

"Yes" She said jumping up to hug him. She flung her arms around him with such force that he almost fell over. She hugged him tightly as if he would slip away if she let him go. He looked into her creamy brown eyes, and he knew she was his. He managed to pry her hand off him and he gently slipped the ring on her finger.

"Jack? Is this the same ring you gave me before?" She was curious how he got it since she had lost it years ago.

"Aye luv, it may just be the same one" He said smugly.

"How did you find it?" She almost didn't care, she was just happy to have it back, to have him back.

"Lets just say a friend had it and I traded for it." He recalled taking it from Tia Dalma's shack before he was eaten by the kraken years ago.

"I love you Jack" She said softly.

"Shh" He said before kissing her passionately. "You talk too much" he breathed before kissing her again. He shifted his hand down to her waist and the other to the base of her neck. She smiled. It had been a while since he had kissed her like that. She missed it. Without breaking the kiss, he stepped her towards the bed. Typical Jack, she thought as they fell over onto the bed. He already wasn't wearing a shirt, he was so muscular from all the years he has been on a ship, she loved it. She let her hands glide over his back, she could feel him tense slightly under her touch.

Their lips separated for a moment so they could breath.

"I've missed this" She said her heart now pounding in her chest. He smiled before kissing her again.

"So have I luv" He almost whispered before he continued. He slipped his hands under her shirt in an attempt to remove it. She didn't resist, and helped him take it off. She let it fall on the floor next to the bed. She loved the warmth of his skin on hers.

She melted under his warm touch. He stopped kissing her lips, and slowly kissed his way down her neck causing a shiver to run down her spine. She wanted him. He worked his way back to her face, leaving soft kisses everywhere. He captured her lips again until neither of them could breath. He looked down at her and just marveled at her beauty.

"Just like old times, eh" He smiled at her happily.

Now breathing heavily, he shifted over so he was closer to her, letting her head rest on his shoulder.

"It's settled then." He breathed. "Tomorrow we shall be married, then I'll take ye wherever ye want to go."

"Don't you need a ship for that?" She asked trying to calm her breathing.

"Damn, yer right." He said completely forgetting about the Pearl being in a bottle still. "Well dearest, I guess that means we will be going to release the Pearl first, ye said ye knew how?" He sighed remembering that slight flaw in his plan. She rolled her eyes. It always surprised her how fast he could change the subject when he wanted something.

"Aye, we will need to get aboard the Revenge though, my father kept all the rituals he ever used in his cabin." She said looking forwards to getting revenge on the man that killed her father, Barbossa.

"No." Jack stated to her surprise. "We are not going after Barbossa. It is too dangerous"

"Since when do you care about danger?" She asked confused at this new tone Jack was speaking in.

"Since now. Do not ask me to watch you get hurt or worse" Jack said grimly but with a hint of concern in his voice. "I cannot always protect ye, but if ye aren't in harms way, then ye don't need protecting. So ye will stay here until I return" He continued.

"Jack, you need me. I know my way around that ship better than anyone. Plus I know what we are looking for." She tried to convince him he needed her there. "Or is that how this relationship is going to be? You go on adventures while I stay home and hope for your safe return." She didn't like thinking that, but she knew he wouldn't object.

"Of course not sweetness" He pushed the hair out of her face so he could look into her eyes. "This adventure in particular is too dangerous, even for me, but I'm willing to take that chance with my own life. I will not risk yer life for a ship" He said remembering how she almost died the last time they encountered Barbossa, he wouldn't let it happen again.

"Ye didn't seem to mind before" She yawned, now really tired from everything. She closed her eyes and let her hand rest on his chest.

"Alright luv, we can talk about this tomorrow" He said kissing her forehead before he too closed his eyes and drifted to sleep.

* * *

He woke up early the next morning. Angelica had her arms draped over his chest. She was still sound asleep and he wanted to keep her that way. She didn't need to get up yet so he carefully slid out from underneath her and got up. He searched around for his cloths that he carelessly tossed around the night before. He got dressed, slipped on his boots, pulled on his jacket, put on his hat before he quietly crept out of the room. Once again it was a beautiful day and he was happier than ever. He walked on deck to see Will in his usual place at the helm. Jack walked up to him hoping to find out their estimated time until arrival.

"Hello Jack" Will said calmly hoping that Jack had forgiven him for the day before.

"Ello Will, how goes it?" Jack asked.

"Fine, we should be arriving in a few hours." Will said relieved that Jack seemed to be over their conflict from yesterday.

"I was afraid ye'd say that" Jack sighed.

"Why? Don't ye want to get there already so you can 'get off this bloody ship'?" Will was slightly confused.

"Aye of course I do, but I asked Angelica to marry me last night at her request, and well I don't want to put her in harms way" Jack muttered so quietly that Will could barely hear him.

"Thats great Jack!" Will said patting him on the back. "I assume she said yes, so are you getting married here? or at a church somewhere?" He said sounding more excited at the news than Jack himself.

"Here is fine for me, but she might want somethin more...traditional, we didn't really talk bout it." He said wishing that she would agree with him, although he had a feeling that she wouldn't.

"Well, whatever makes her happy I suppose is what you'll do right?" Will said although he didn't know her that well, her behavior made him assume that she would probably prefer something of a more traditional nature which was opposed to Jack.

"Aye, no matter what, my goal is to keep her happy" Jack said hoping he wouldn't regret that later.

"Ok, so did she tell you how to free the Pearl?" Will said leaving Jack with his thoughts of the previous subject.

"Aye, which is why I'm not so keen on arrivin quite yet." Jack replied "Ye see, we need the ritual, which happens to be on none other than the Queen Anne's Revenge. Which has recently changed ownership from Blackbeard to the hands of Barbossa." he explained.

"Ah, I see. So you are torn between being with her, and going after your ship." Will thought he understood now. "Well of course you'll choose her right?"

"Aye, I already told her that I would not risk her life for a ship, but she doesn't listen." Jack complained. "She thinks she needs to come with me. She is completely unreasonable." He grumbled.

"Well, if she wants to go, let her go. Like I said before, you can't protect her forever" Will said sternly as to get his point across. "If she knows of the danger and the risk, and if she is willing to take that chance with you, then you should let her. And if she isn't, then I will sail her back to Port Royal and she can stay with Elizabeth." Will said with every intention of helping Jack solve his dilemma.

"Fine" Jack mumbled. "Then I will have to try me best to convince her to stay." He said consciously aware of how difficult it would be to do.

* * *

**A/N Ok, it could either be good, or bad, but idk. So I would like to know exactly how bad it was. So please review. :) Don't be afraid to tear it apart and criticize it. lol. I want to know what you actually think. :) Also, I should be able to write the next chapter faster, and hopefully I will have it posted by or before Monday. Thanks for reading so far. :)**


	20. Chapter 24

"Jack" Angelica said sleepily having just woken up. She opened her eyes. Of course, he always had to be the first one up. Why couldn't he ever sleep in? She sighed, not wanting to get up, but she did anyways. She slowly rolled out of the bed and searched the room to find her scattered clothes. She was not yet aware of the weather or the time so after she was dressed she slipped on her jacket, pulled on her boots and placed her hat on her head before going outside. Jack and Will were both where they usually were, at the helm. It appeared like they were talking but she couldn't hear them. She began her walk up to them. Jack saw her and immediately stopped talking and smiled at her.

"Good afternoon, luv. Nice of ye to join us on this fine day" Jack chuckled as her expression quickly changed to that of shock.

"What?! Its already afternoon? Why did you let me sleep that long!" She hated to sleep that late into the day.

"Ye seemed tired and I thought ye could use some extra sleep." He smiled. "But don't get used to it."

"That won't be a problem." She retorted. "So will we be arriving soon then?"

"We will most likely be there within the hour" Will said nonchalantly. "Jack don't you have something to discuss?" He elbowed Jack in the side to get him to start talking.

"Ow" Jack glared at him, but quickly turned back to Angelica who looked at him curiously. "Ah yes, are ye sure ye want to come with me?" He asked cautiously.

"Yes Jack. I am going with you" She said without hesitation.

"Aye, I know ye want to, but it is very dangerous." He said as he put his hand on her shoulder and looked into her eyes. "Are ye sure ye wouldn't much rather stay with Elizabeth until I return?" He asked even though he knew she would not.

"No. I am going Jack." She said sternly pushing his hand off her.

"But Angelica darling…" He was about to continue trying to reason with her until he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Will shaking his head. Jack sighed turning back to Angelica.

"Fine, ye can come, but ye have to promise to be careful" He said softly with a hint of worry in his voice. She rolled her eyes.

"Ok, I promise to be careful" She said unenthusiastically. "Happy?"

What was he thinking? She can take care of herself, and he knows that. Doesn't he? She thought hoping he did so he wasn't constantly worrying about her.

"Aye luv, thats good enough for me" He smiled although he was still wishing he could have talked her out of going.

"Well, if you change your mind before I leave, I can take you back to Port Royal." Will added although he knew she wouldn't. From what he had seen, she was particularly stubborn.

"Thanks Will, but I won't." She said wishing that they would stop worrying about her.

"Ok, well then you should get your stuff together cause we will be arriving shortly." Will said not sure if he would miss either of them after they left.

"Aye, but take only what ye need, we will be travelin light" Jack said.

"Jack, you know that you tried to leave me on an island with nothing, what stuff exactly do I need to 'get together'?" She was already wearing all of what she had with her.

"Ok ye have a point." He said.

"Oh Jack" Will had just remembered something. "Did you decide yet?"

"Decide what Will?" Angelica asked curiously.

"Yes what is it Will?" Jack had apparently forgotten. Will rolled his eyes.

"Did you decide where you are getting married?" He asked. Jack glanced nervously to Angelica who was surprised by that question. She hadn't thought about it at all. As a young girl she dreamed of a traditional white wedding, but that was before the covenant. She hadn't thought about it recently.

"Aye" Jack finally answered. "Ye are a captain Will, ye can marry us right now b'fore we leave"

"Sure thing, if thats what you want" He said directing his statement mostly to Angelica who wasn't really listening. "Angelica?"

"What?" She snapped out of her thoughts.

"Do ye want to get married now? Or would ye rather wait and have a traditional wedding?" Jack shuddered at the thought of having the ceremony at a church but he would if she asked him to. "ye do want to go through with it still eh?"He asked confused by her lack of and answer.

"Of course I do, but I wanted it to be memorable." She looked down not sure what he would say to that. He stepped towards her, and lifted her chin so she could meet his gaze.

"Then we can wait luv. It's no problem at all" He said softly before smiling at her.

He turned to Will who was now giving his crew some orders.

"Oi Will" Jack called to get his attention.

"what?" He asked.

"Thanks for the offer, but it looks like we shall be postponing our wedding until..uh.. sometime in the future" He chuckled even though he was slightly disappointed, but Angelica didn't know what to think. What if this was their only chance? What if he changes his mind by then? When was 'then'? How long would they have to wait? She hoped she hadn't just made a huge mistake.

"Ok, thats fine" Will said before he saw that they had arrived. "Drop anchor and lower the longboat!" he snapped at his crew.

"Well, we have arrived." Will said before he walked them down to the main deck. "Good luck to you both, and be careful. I don't want to see either of your souls on my ship for at least twenty-five years" he joked.

"The feeling is mutual" Jack smiled. "Thanks for yer help Will" he continued, shaking Will's hand.

"No problem Jack. Hopefully the next time we meet, you two will be married and sailing the Black Pearl." Will said before turning to Angelica. "Are you sure you wouldn't prefer to be married before you leave?" He had a feeling she was uncertain about her previous answer based on her late response. She was about to answer but Jack interrupted.

"Don't worry 'bout it Will, she doesn't change her mind to easily" Jack said unaware of Angelica's regret.

"Well if you're sure, then be careful miss Angelica" He smiled "Stick with Jack. He'll take care of you."

"Thanks Will" She smiled slightly.

"Oh and if you or Jack need me, uh...I guess just kill someone, and I'll be there to pick up their soul" He joked, "Really though, if you do need me, go visit Elizabeth, she can help you"

"Thanks again" She said as she climbed down into the small boat.

"Keep a weather eye on the horizon" Will said. Jack nodded as he too climbed into the small boat. After Jack started rowing Will immediately began shouting orders to his crew again.

"Weigh anchor! Prepare to make sail!" were the last words either of them could hear of Will before they were too far away.

Jack rowed them all the way to the docks. Their trip was quiet, and Angelica hardly even looked at him. Sometimes he just didn't understand her.

Jack immediately jumped out of the boat and onto the dock. After quickly tying the boat down he offered his hand to Angelica who had yet to move.

"If ye haven't noticed, we are here, and we have stuff to do" He said causing her to look up. "Are ye alright luv?" he asked when she didn't reply.

"Yes, I'm fine" She said before taking his hand to get onto the dock.

"Good, then lets go" He said cheerfully. This might be his favorite place. It had been at least two months since he was there last.

She followed close behind him as they walked off the dock and into the main street. There were people drinking, laughing, arguing, and fighting all around.

"I love this place" He said stopping abruptly causing her to walk into him. "Oi, what are ye doin?" He said slightly turning to her.

"Can we just find Gibbs and leave?" She wasn't really fond of the atmosphere.

"No no luv, that would take the fun out of this little venture" He chuckled before he continued walking. She sighed before quickly following him again.

He walked towards one of the busier pubs before he was approached by a woman in a loose fitting dress causing him to stop again.

"Hello Jack" She said sweetly.

"Susanna is it?" He sounded slightly annoyed that she recognized him. Angelica glared at her.

"Who's she" She asked nodding towards Angelica. But before he could answer she slapped him in the face and walked away. All to familiar with that response he had planned to keep walking until Angelica stepped in front of him.

"Ow. Don't think I deserved that" He said sorely.

"Oh, I think you did" Angelica said before she too slapped him in the face.

"Ow. What was that for?" Jack complained rubbing his face.

"I think you know" She said irritated "Can we just get this over with?"

"Alright luv, lets go then" He said as he walked around her to the pub. She didn't like how most of the men were looking at her with greedy eyes. She didn't want to, but she grabbed Jack's hand so she wouldn't get separated from him. He noticed and slowed his step slightly so she was closer behind him.

"Jack do you know where you are going" She asked as they continued weaving around people.

"Course I do" Jack said confidently. "If I know Gibbs, he is here drinking away his money" He said as he scanned the scene for the older man.

"There!" Jack pointed to a table in the back corner. He quickly walked over there practically dragging Angelica behind him. Gibbs was leaning against the wall with a mug of rum in his hand. He was so drunk he didn't even notice Jack until he pulled up a chair.

"What do you want?" He growled taking a drink of rum without looking up.

"Have ye any idea who yer talkin to mate?" Jack asked knowing that Gibbs should be able to recognize his voice.

"Jack?" Gibbs looked up to see Jack with his usual smirk.

"Angelica, sit down will ye?" Jack said before turning his attention back to Gibbs. She sat down next to Jack, wishing that she was anywhere but there.

"Now, what news have ye about me ship?" Jack asked.

"Where were you Jack? You told me to meet you after you took care of…" He said stopped himself when he realized for the first time that Angelica was there too. "I knew it. I knew you couldn't leave her there" He said smugly.

"Gibbs if ye must know, it was her that wouldn't let me leave." Jack chuckled. "Complications arose, we ran into some old friends, and now we are here" Jack vaguly explained.

"And what friends be those Jack? You don't have many" Gibbs asked skeptically.

"Ye remember Will and Elizabeth Turner from an adventure or two ago?" Jack asked not sure if he would in his drunken state.

"The same Will who now captains the Flying Dutchman, and Elizabeth who left you for the kraken? Those friends?" He chuckled.

"Aye, now out with it man, have ye the Pearl or not?" Jack was now growing annoyed by the lack of answers he was getting.

"Aye" He said pulling the bottle out of a bag he had next to him on the floor. "So tell me miss Teach, what brings you here with Jack?" He shot her a curious glance.

"Oh, um, he asked me to come with him, he said he needed my help." She lied, immediately regretting it remembering that Jack wouldn't let her get away with it.

"Now don't lie luv, it's not nice" Jack said shaking his head. "As I recall, sweetness, I asked ye to stay, but ye demanded to come no matter what"

"Oh, I see how it is" Gibbs smirked at them before Jack shot him an angry look. "Don't deny it." He continued. Jack's expression relaxed, he had planned on denying it, but decided that it would not turn out well for him later.

"I can if I want to. But I don't." Jack smiled at Angelica to Gibbs' surprise. "She wouldn't let me" He chuckled turning back to Gibbs.

"Well, um, any idea how to get it out?" Gibbs asked deeming it best to leave the previous subject alone.

"Aye, we sneak aboard the Queen Anne's Revenge, find the ritual, and get out of there, and possibly kill Barbossa in the process" Jack said plainly. "Simple and easy to remember. We will need to find it first though." He sighed.

Gibbs almost choked when he heard this.

"That's a fool's errand. Not to mention it'll be dangerous." Gibbs warned.

"Aye, I know that already. It could be close to the most dangerous thing we have attempted" Jack said not pleased.

"Jack, it's awful bad luck to have a woman with us, not to mention she could be a distraction." He stated. "Jack, you have to be smart about this. Going after Barbossa is not somthin to take lightly." He continued.

"I agree one hundred percent, but it could be far worse not to bring her" Jack was now caught between her safety and the ship he desperately wanted back.

"I know my way around that ship better than anyone" Angelica added to help ease Gibbs' apprehension towards letting her come. She was still uneasy about being there and unconsciously fidgeted with her engagement ring. She hadn't realized, but Gibbs did and sighed.

"Jack. You do not want to bring her with you" Gibbs tried to change his mind. "If she gets hurt, what are you going to do? If she is to be your future wife, she shouldn't come. For both your sakes" He continued. Angelica and Jack simultaneously looked up with expressions of bewilderment on their faces.

"How did ye know that?" Jack demanded harshly.

"Her ring. That be the only one you wore everyday after we left Tia's place the last time" He explained.

"Thats not true. I wore other rings as well." Jack defended.

"Aye, but you would change the position of the other ones between you fingers, but you never touched that one. Don't think that as being you first mate I don't know your habits, captain" He said smugly.

"Fine, ye win. But she _is _coming with us, and I don't want to hear another word about it" Jack said sternly.

"But sir…" Gibbs started but was promptly interrupted.

"I said no." Jack had had enough. Gibbs opened his mouth to speak again but was quickly interrupted again. "Gibbs, shut it" Jack demanded.

"We are leaving, come on you two, get up." Jack said as he stood up to leave.

"And how do you plan on finding Barbossa? We will need a ship." Gibbs said.

"Aye, fortunately, commandeering a vessel is not too difficult eh" Jack grinned.

They made it outside and walked to docks to choose their target vessel.

"Well, that one looks fast, and probably doesn't need much of a crew" Angelica pointed to a small merchant ship.

"Aye, that will do" Jack agreed and Gibbs nodded yet neither of them moved.

"Well? What are waiting for?" She asked impatiently.

"Luv, that would be the opportune moment" Jack answered. "But now seems as good as any other, lets go" He said continuing over to the little ship. Angelica sighed and rolled her eyes as she followed close behind him.

The dock was mostly clear, and there were few people around the tiny ship. There were some small crates of supplies piled up near the ship and that gave Jack an idea. He picked up a crate and pretended to be a deckhand for anyone who was watching as he boarded the vessel. Angelica getting the hint did the same, followed by Gibbs. They walked quickly and quietly below deck, but to their relief, no one seemed to be on board. Jack set the crate down and wandered around appearing to survey the vessel. It seemed oddly familiar to him, but he could not place where he had seen it before. He continued walking around looking at the layout and the contents of the ship.

"Good news, there's no one here, so this ship was the perfect choice." Jack declared. "Gibbs we shall need to cast off as soon as possible." He continued.

"Aye captain" Gibbs replied as he turned about to return to the upper deck. "Uh Jack, we may have a problem"

"What is it?" He asked turning around. "Damn it Mr. Gibbs, that is indeed a problem" he growled as he slowly stepped backwards until he was standing next to him.


	21. Chapter 25

Angelica was being forced down on her knees in front of them. She was being held by a large man, while another taller man had his sword against her throat. A cloth was stuck in her mouth and tied behind her head, preventing her from making any substantial noise. Her hands were also tied behind her back in a quite uncomfortable position.

"Drop your weapons! The both of you!" The taller man ordered. "Or she dies" He threatened nodding to Angelica. Angelica not being able to say anything looked only at Jack. He saw a hint of fear in her eyes as she knelt there. He knew they could easily kill her so he pulled out his sword and slowly crouched down to set it carefully on the floor. He motioned to Gibbs to do the same.

"as soon as we stand, shoot" Jack whispered so quietly that Gibbs strained to hear him but nodded in understanding. They both stood slowly and faced the two men and Angelica. Angelica shot Jack a confused look which he returned with a slight smirk. Jack then gave a slight nod to Gibbs and they both quickly pulled out their pistols. Two loud shots rang through the air as soon as they fired. Angelica cringed as both of the men holding her yelped and dropped to the floor behind her.

"Nice shot Mr. Gibbs" Jack complemented before running over to untie Angelica. "Are ye alright luv?" He asked as he cut the bonds around her hands. He helped her stand up before she quickly hugged him. He pulled her off of him so he could untie the cloth that was stuck in her mouth.

"Thats better eh" He smiled. "What were ye doin gettin caught?" He raised an eyebrow.

"I didn't do it on purpose" She rolled her eyes.

"Might I suggest we leave port with all haste?" Gibbs asked hopeful that they would agree.

"Aye" Jack nodded and Gibbs started towards the stairs. Gibbs carefully stepped over the men on the floor.

One of them groaned so quietly it was unheard by the three, they thought they were both dead. He would show them. He slowly grasped his sword careful not to be noticed. Angelica started to follow Gibbs, stepping carefully over the dead men. Jack was close behind her and noticed some small movement in one of them. He realized what was about to happen. He jumped forwards and pushed Angelica out of the way just as the man swung his sword at her ankles. Angelica fell over hitting her head hard on the deck and was knocked unconscious.

Since he put so much effort into getting Angelica out of the way, Jack fell over face first. The man got up slightly and stood over him. The man raised his sword and Jack put his arms up in defense. The man swung at him, hitting his arm. Pain rushed up his arm and warm blood poured out over him. Quickly Gibbs pulled out his sword and stabbed the man right through his chest in Jack's defense. This time he was dead for sure. He keeled over blood now over all of them.

"Damnit Gibbs!" Jack yelled angrily and in pain "Took ye long enough! Now get me somthin to wrap this in" He demanded. It was a deep gash in his arm and it was no laughing matter, he had to wrap it and clean it up.

"Alright, give it here" Gibbs said gesturing for him to hand over his arm. "My god Jack, I hope Angelica isn't afraid of blood" Gibbs said as he examined the deep wound while blood continued to spill out.

"Angelica?" Jack mumbled. The pain filled his mind and caused him to temporarily forget she was even there. Why was she being so quiet though? "Angelica?" He said louder before turning back to Gibbs when he got no reply.

"Angelica should be fine. She hit her head pretty good though" Gibbs said before he began to wrap Jack's arm in a thin fabric. Jack winced at the pain but relaxed slightly when Gibbs had finished. He got up and went over to Angelica. He sat down and carefully lifted her head onto his lap. Her eyes slowly opened. Jack grinned slightly at her before she closed her eyes again slipping back into unconsciousness.

"Mr. Gibbs, clean up this mess will ye" Jack asked irritated by the blood soaked mess they had made. Gibbs rolled his eyes before hiding the bodies in some empty barrels.

"I think its time we try a new tactic." Gibbs stated. "You stay here with Angelica, I'm goin to find the captain" He continued as he stepped over Jack and walked up onto the main deck.

"Oi, ye get back here" Jack yelled after Gibbs, but it was no use. He didn't want to leave Angelica alone so he stayed there and waited for Gibbs to return.

On deck there were now a few people milling around, but no one seemed to notice Gibbs as he strode over to what he identified as the captains cabin on the small ship. He knocked on the door.

"Come in" Said a voice from inside the room. Gibbs slowly opened the door to see a woman sitting in a large chair. She appeared to be plotting the ships course.

"Who are you and what do you want?" She asked looking up at him suspiciously.

"Well ye see miss, my friend and his fiancee are injured. We be on our way to uh…" He didn't really know where they were going, but he did know that he would have to come up with something. "Uh, Spain is where we are headed." He finally decided. Spain was the only place he could think of seeing as that was where Angelica was from and he couldn't very well ask the captain to take them after Barbossa.

"Spain?" She raised an eyebrow, "I used to live in Spain. Why do you want to go there?"

Once again he was stuck, but this would be an easier lie to tell.

"Uh, ye see, me friend and his fiancee were gunna get married in Spain, but on our way there our ship was attacked by pirates. We escaped when they docked here, but we were left with no way to leave." He tried to sound as pathetic as possible.

"I see, and you want me to help you. Is that it?" She asked skeptically. "Truthfully Spain isn't too far out of our trade route anyways, I suppose we could make an extra stop." She conceded.

He just wanted her to agree, but he didn't want to make Jack anymore upset about the situation.

"My friend and I would be willing to help out around here, after he heals that is" Gibbs offered hoping to speed up her decision.

"Who is this friend and his fiancee, and what happened to them?" She asked with a hint of concern in her voice. He knew that too many people had heard of Jack Sparrow, and many were fearful of Edward Teach, since Angelica had his last name, he decided it was not safe to use either of their real names.

"Uh, my friend is Jack Bird… and his fiancee is Angelica Saville" he said before mentally smacking himself in the face afterwards for not being more creative. "He got a nasty wound on his arm from a sword fight during our escape, and at the moment she is unconscious. He pushed her out of the way of the fight to protect her, but did so too forcefully and she hit her head, but they will both recover" He smiled weakly.

"Ok, well as long as you and him can help out. We will be leaving in exactly two hours" She stated. "Also, I'm sure they both need some rest, they can use the spare cabin." She said.

"Thank ye ever so much" He said nodding to her before he turned and left. Mission accomplished, he thought as he walked back down to where Jack was with Angelica.

"Good new cap't" Gibbs said cheerfully as he walked down the stairs towards them.

"And what news be that?" Jack asked wearily, pale faced and obviously tired from his loss of blood.

"I got us passage to Spain, all we got to do is help out around the ship." Gibbs said happily.

"Mr. Gibbs" Jack said calmly. "Why on earth would we want to go to Spain? Of all the places?" Jack was angry.

"Sorry. that was the only place I could think of… anyways thats besides the point, she said you two could share the spare cabin" Gibbs offered in an attempt to calm him down again.

"Wait, wait, hold on a minute" Jack said confusedly, "did ye say 'she', the captain is a 'she'?" He asked skeptically.

"Aye, and not that bad lookin if I do say so" Gibbs smirked, and Jack rolled his eyes.

"Fine, but help me up, will ye?" Jack demanded. He shifted Angelica's head off his lap before he stuck out his good hand to Gibbs who pulled him off the floor. Jack immediately felt dizzy, and staggered a bit before turning back to Gibbs who had an unsure expression on his face.

"Oi, help me get her to the cabin. I think we all be needin a rest" Jack said holding his good hand to his head. Jack leaned over and lifted Angelica from under her arms while Gibbs lifted her feet. They brought her into the room and carefully laid her down on the far side of the bed.

"I think she put on some weight, it seems like every time I have to pick her up she is heavier." Jack said now out of breath and shaking his head.

"Naw Jack, I think you are just tired from blood loss, and need to sleep" Gibbs said knowingly.

"Fine, but while we are restin, see what you can find out about this captain." Jack wanted to know everything he could. "This place is too familiar, and I need to know why" Jack said sleepily.

"Aye sir, don't lay on that arm now" Gibbs said as he left shutting the door behind him. He often thought of himself as a jack-of-all-trades and was willing to do just about anything. However, this time he wasn't sure what Jack wanted. What had Jack so uneasy about this ship? Why did he care that the captain was a 'she'? He didn't know, but it didn't really matter to him, he would find out eventually, but first he was off to find himself some rum.

Back in the cabin Jack took off his hat and carefully slipped off his jacket, slightly wincing at the pain as the sleeve slid off his injured arm. He looked at the tear in it and sighed. It was his favorite jacket and had owned it for many years, and now it had an aweful rip in the left sleeve. He was too nauseous to think about it now though. He kicked off his boots and crawled into the bed next to Angelica who had stirred slightly. She seemed to be waking up somewhat and Jack just watched her. She yawned and stretched her arms, unintentionally brushing past Jack's wounded arm.

"Oi, I'm here ye know" Jack said wincing at the pain that shot up his arm. She hadn't really been aware of where she was until he spoke. She sat up and turned to him.

"Jack?Qué estás haciendo aquí?" She was confused.

"Now luv, just cause we aren't married yet does not mean I can't sleep here" Jack replied assuming she wanted to know why they were there. He wasn't sure why she was speaking in Spanish, but it would be a lie to say he didn't like it. "Let me see yer head" He said sitting up. She turned her head to the side revealing to Jack the bruise she had along her hairline above her left temple.

"I guess I pushed ye a bit too hard" He said leaning against the headboard cradling his injured arm. "It'll get better though" He smiled lightly.

"What are you talking about?" She didn't remember what happened. "And what is wrong with your arm?"

"Lets start with what ye do remember shall we?" He smirked. "What is the last thing ye remember?"

"I remember you proposing to me, I think. Was that...real?" She wasn't sure, she couldn't tell what was real and what wasn't.

"Aye, it was" He smiled, and reached for her hand. " I gave ye this, and ye are still wearin it" He said reminding her of the ring she wore.

"I remember that night" She smirked and he chuckled thinking back on it as well. "And think I remember finding Gibbs in a pub and then boarding a ship" She continued. "Then its a blur" She sighed.

"Thats alright luv, ye remember the most important thing." Jack said pulling her into a hug. He forgot about his arm until she rubbed against it again. "Ow ow ow. watch it" He said painfully. She quickly let go of him to see what was wrong. She spotted the bloody red cloth that was tied around his arm.

"What happened?" She asked concernedly.

"Oh well, I pushed ye out of the way of this guy with a strong arm and a sharp sword. Thats when ye blacked out. Sorry bout that" He said rubbing the back of his neck. "Lets just say my arms were my only defence, and well they worked cause as ye can see, I don't have a scratch on me face." he smiled. "Gibbs stuck that git right through the middle so its all good" He continued.

"give it here let me see" she said and reached for his arm. He pulled it closer to him, refusing to let her see it.

"Its just a scratch luv, nuthin to worry bout" he lied. He knew if she saw how bad it was she would feel guilty, that or she would be sick at the sight of it. Neither reaction he was eager to see.

"Jack just let me see your arm" She said irritated by his refusal.

"No, Gibbs just wrapped it. If ye want to see it so badly wait till tomorrow mornin when I shall have to change the bandage." He said knowing it would be too painful to remove the bandage now anyways. He leaned back against the headboard again, no longer having the strength to hold himself up.

"Fine, but you look pale are you sure you're ok?" She asked.

"Aye, I'm fine, ye don't have to worry bout me. I can take care of meself." He said even though he knew she wouldn't let it go that easily. He looked into her eyes. He saw worry and doubt on her face and he didn't like it. "Trust me luv, I'm fine, I just need to sleep." He said softly. He motioned for her to lay next to him. She wrapped her arms around him, and rested her head on his shoulder.

"I do trust you, but sometimes I just wish you would admit to being hurt or that you need help" She sighed. He turned to look into her eyes.

"Fine, if it will make ye happy" He said. "Yes, it is more than just a scratch on my arm, and I'm pale from the loss of blood. It ain't a pretty sight, and it hurts like hell." She gasped and looked away from him.

"Jack, if our marriage is going to work, you have to be able to just tell me" She mumbled. "You can't hide things from me"

"Of course, luv." He agreed. "But, ye have to be able to do the same. I don't want to have to worry bout ye all the time."

"Fine" She didn't mind. She let go of him and slipped under the blankets. It was cold in there. Jack shifted as well, so he was lying next to her. She shivered and moved closer to him. He wrapped his good arm around her and pulled her closer. She loved the warmth and comfort of his embrace.

"Sleep well Jack" She whispered, closing her eyes.

"You too" He muttered before he fell quickly to sleep.


	22. Chapter 26

Gibbs managed to find a few bottle of rum below deck. He turned about to go back up to the main deck but jumped at the sight of the captain standing in his way.

"Oh pardon me miss, I did not see ye there" He said taking a step back. "Care for a drink?" He offered her a bottle of rum.

"No thank you, but I would like to know more about your friends." She said plainly.

"Uh, what do ye want to know?" He asked knowing that he would have to lie again to hide their true identities.

"I think it's best if we talked in my office" She said before turning to walk up the stairs.

He followed her into her cabin and she shut the door behind him. She offered him a chair in front of her desk as she sat in the chair behind her desk. He felt uncomfortable, it wasn't very often he sat down to have discussions on a ship.

"So what is it that you want to know?" He asked curiously.

"Well, lets start off with...Jack is it?." She said leaning on her desk. He nodded. "What experience does he have on a ship?"

"Well, he's been sailin all his life. As long as I've know him he's been on a ship." He said truthfully.

"Thats good, does he have any other skills?" She asked.

"He's skilled with a sword, uh... he is a brilliant strategist, and he's quite the escape artist" He said thankful that he needn't be creative yet.

"Ok, what does he do for a living?" She felt like she wasn't getting what she wanted to know.

"He uh… he works as a deckhand on any ship that will take him." He said knowing that with Jack's appearance he wouldn't pass as anything else.

"Ok well thats reasonable, now about his fiancee, what was her name again?" She decided she was satisfied with Jack, and had to now try to understand his partner.

"That would be Angelica Tea...Saville" He quickly corrected, but unfortunately for him she noticed.

"Were you about to say Angelica Teach?" She questioned sharply. Gibbs could tell that name meant something to her, but he would have to ask her later.

"No no. Angelica Saville is the name she goes by." He defended. "Isn't Angelica Teach the devilish daughter of Blackbeard?"

"Hmm...anyways tell me about this Angelica Saville then" She decided to let his slip up go.

"Jack taught her a good deal about swordsmanship and is about as skilled as him by now." He said not really sure what else to say about her since he didn't know her that well. "I believe she used to live in a spanish covenant when Jack met her" He said hoping that he hadn't said too much about their personalities.

"Is that so?" She raised her eyebrow at his description.

"I think so, but I don't know her that well. She has quite the temper and I haven't had the chance to talk to her recently." He said.

"Ok that is all" She said satisfied, and now looking down at the map in front of her.

"Do ye mind if I asked ye a question of my own?" He stayed seated and she looked up at him.

"Fine, what is it?" She asked sounding almost irritated.

"I was wonderin if ye have seen a ship that goes by the name of Queen Anne's Revenge around." He said trying to get information for _his_ captain. He was surprised by her reaction.

"Is that not the ship of the infamous _Captain_ Jack Sparrow?" She asked. She didn't wait for his reply before she continued. "I haven't seen him in years. Good thing too, cause I would have killed 'im" She snarled.

"Oh" He didn't know what else to say. Based on the tone in her voice he knew she would not be happy to see Jack on her ship. He also now knew that was why Jack was worried by the familiarity of the ship; he wasn't likely going to be happy to see her either.

"That bastard..." She said standing up "He broke the heart of my best friend. She told me all about him, and our meeting confirmed every word she spoke of him" Uh oh, he thought, she must know Angelica too. That wasn't good.

"Who was this friend of yours?" He asked nervously.

"Angelica Teach. That was why I was confused when I thought you mentioned her name earlier. I haven't seen her in years either." She explained slightly calmer.

"Ah, I see." He stood up. "Well, thank ye for yer time miss." He turned to walk out but she spoke causing him to stop.

"Why did you want to know if I had seen his ship?" She was curious.

"Well, the Revenge isn't his ship; that would be the Black Pearl you're thinkin of. " He corrected. " I know Jack Sparrow too ye see uh...Anyways, those on the Revenge were the pirates that captured us and left us here." He lied to maintain the fiction he created earlier before he continued walking and left the room.

He started walking down the stairs to the lower deck when he heard the door to her cabin open and close behind him. He was relieved when she started calling orders to her crew instead of following up on his last comments. They were casting off finally. He continued down below deck and found a hammock for himself to sleep in. It was getting late and he figured that Jack was probably asleep, and decided that he wouldn't mind some sleep too.

* * *

Jack woke up the next morning and shifted slightly to see Angelica curled up besides him. He was content to just lie there until he felt a throbbing pain in his arm. Of course. She was laying on his arm. He didn't want to wake her, but the pain in his arm was beginning to get to him.

With his good arm he gently nudged her to roll over off of his other arm. He sighed with relief when she didn't wake and his arm started to feel a little better. He got up slowly; he felt a bit light headed still but he decided that it would pass if he went outside. He slipped on his boots and decided to forget his jacket since his arm hurt. He adjusted his hat on his head before he quietly crept outside. He needed to know what Gibbs found out the night before.

It was still early in the morning and most of the crew on the small ship were still sleeping. It was dark outside whilst he edged out of the room and quickly closed the door behind him. He quietly walked around the lower deck until he found Gibbs laying in a hammock with a bottle of rum in his hand. He was still asleep, but Jack wanted to know what he found out. Jack reached over and gave him a flick on the nose. Gibbs woke and flailed his arms a bit until he realized it was only Jack.

"Jack, how many times do I have to tell ye its bad luck to wake a man when he's sleepin" Gibbs said sleepily.

"I don't have time for this." Jack hissed in an irritated whisper. "Get up will you"

"Fine" Gibbs said lazily as he rolled out of the hammock. Jack turned and walked quickly and quietly down to the brig of the ship and Gibbs followed behind him. Jack wanted to be sure that no one heard them. He lit a lantern so they would have a little light while in the darkest part of the ship.

"What did ye find out?" Jack asked eagerly.

"Yer not goin to like it cap't" Gibbs said nervously.

"Spit it out man!" Jack was growing impatient.

"The captain, I didn't get her name, but thats not the point." Gibbs said. "Apparently you know her, and thats not the worst part"

"What is worse than us gettin on the only ship with someone I know, and very possibly have a strong disliking for?" Jack asked irritated by what Gibbs had said.

"As it turns out, she is Angelica's best friend" Gibbs finally said. "And she isn't too fond of you"

"Damnit all!" Jack almost shouted. "That bloody woman is going to be the end of me"

"Well, it can't be all bad right? I mean at least we didn't get on a cursed vessel captained by the devil eh?" Gibbs offered to try and cheer him up but Jack just glared at him.

"Might as well have!" Jack said before he stomped back up the stairs. He didn't care that he could very well have woken up the whole ship. As he approached his cabin where Angelica slept he tried to calm himself down. He slowly opened the door and slipped inside. He carefully closed the door behind him but not quietly enough. She rolled over and felt around where Jack should have been. He noticed and quickly kicked off his boots and took off his hat again. He gently placed himself on the bed next to her.

"mm Jack where…" She yawned. "where were you?"

"Shh, luv, just sleep" He whispered.

"No, tell me where you were" she whispered sleepily.

"I was gettin information from Gibbs about whose ship we're trapped on" He muttered. He pulled her to him wrapping his good arm around her. "Nothing we need to discuss now" He added.

"Do you know whose ship it is?" She asked quietly.

"Unfortunately, I do. As a matter of fact, so do you" He mumbled. She was suddenly interested by this and now wanted to know who he was talking about.

"What do you mean? I don't know whose ship this is" She said.

"Look darlin, ye hit yer head pretty hard yesterday, please just sleep and I'll tell ye in a few hours" He said not really wanting to discuss it at the moment anyways.

"Can't you just tell me?" She asked now curious.

"Angie, just shh...sleep it will do ye good" He muttered quietly.

"Fine, but don't call...oh whatever" She was about to argue about him calling her that but decided that she was still tired and that she liked it anyways.

"Just sleep, I am gettin up to clean and rewrap me arm" He said as he let go of her. She did want to keep laying there but she changed her mind against it. She was going to make sure he fixed his arm properly. He got up and carefully pulled on his boots again. She sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed. While she was laying down she didn't notice her headache but now that she was sitting up it hurt badly.

"Jack...I have an awful headache" She whimpered as she lay down again. Jack walked over and sat on the edge of the bed looking down at her.

"Let me see" He gently turned her head to the side so he could see the bruise. He lightly brushed some of her hair out of the way. The bruise was a dark purple-ish color. He cringed, it didn't look good.

"That's it, luv, I told ye this was not a good idea" He said sternly.

"What? Cause I got a small bump on the head" She said irritated. "I will be fine" She tried to get up again but he put his hand on her shoulder and kept her still.

"Its not so small, luv" He said looking into her eyes. "As I said before, ye need to sleep, or rest, either way yer not gettin up for at least another few hours." He said softly with concern in his voice.

"But Jack..." She tried to sit up again but he stopped her.

"No, just rest. I'll be in to wake ye in a while" He said softly as he leaned over giving her a kiss on the forehead. He released his grip on her and got up.

"Where are you going?" She asked.

"I already told ye, I have to fix up me arm." He lied as he walked towards the door. He actually had someone he needed to talk to, but he was not about to tell her just yet.

"Fine, but don't take too long" she said. He nodded and briskly walked out of the room closing the door softly behind him.

The sun was now low in the sky and the air was cool. He noticed the crew was still sleeping as he walked carefully by and up onto the main deck. He figured the only one who would be awake at this time would be the captain. He was right. She stood at the helm on the upper deck of the ship, her hair blowing in the breeze.

"Well, look who it is, if it isn't _Captain _Cristina." Jack said slyly as he walked up the stairs. "Still usin this same ol' ship?"

She jumped having not noticed him before he spoke. At first it didn't register to her who he was, but one glance in his direction and she soon realized.

"How did you get here Sparrow!" She yelled surprised and angry as she stepped towards him.

"Good to see ye too" He chuckled.

How the hell did he get on this ship? She was beside herself with confusion. What did he want? She couldn't even guess.

"Who let you on this ship?!" She said seething with a mixture of rage and confusion.

"That would be you" He answered gesturing towards her. She rolled her eyes.

"That isn't possible, I would have known if I let you on my own ship" She retorted.

"Not if I were not the one asking for permission" He said smirking. She face-palmed herself when she realized what she had done.

"Of course." She sighed. "You sent your first mate to lie and convince me to let you come on board"

"No, he went on his own." Jack said shaking his head. "And as for his lies, he didn't tell me what he said. Perhaps if ye went into yer little conversation, I might be able to clear things up, savvy?" He smiled deviously.

"Well, he obviously lied about your name, your fiancee, uh wha…"She began but Jack quickly interrupted her, and an angry expression passed over his face.

"Hold up" He nearly shouted. "He told you about my engagement! One of these days, I swear, I'm gunna kill 'im!" She jumped back, not expecting that reaction.

"What?" She was confused. "You're actually...getting married?"

"Aye" He grumbled rolling his eyes at her obvious statement. She still wasn't expecting that even with his previous admission.

"To whom, might I ask?" She was now curious, and not sure if she hoped he would say Angelica or not. On the one hand, if he didn't then she knew her friend would be completely crushed, but yet she would be able to move on. However, if he did, she knew that her friend would probably be happy, but in a position to be hurt again. It was an impossible judgment for her to make.

"Don't you dare say Angelica" She warned deciding that the first option was better. "There is no way she has gotten over what you did to her!"

"Fine, I wont, but it would be a lie" He said. She figured he would say something like that.

"Look Jack. If you hurt her again, you will have me to deal with" She unsheathed her sword and stepped towards him. He grimaced and stepped back.

"Well, if Mr. Gibbs told ye I was with my fiancee, and we were both injured, he wasn't lyin." He said. "She's sleepin below deck. I have to wake her in a bit, she doesn't like to sleep late" He chuckled uncomfortably. She lowered her sword and stepped back. Jack's expression relaxed slightly.

"What?!"She said, the tone of concern heavy in her voice. "What happened to the two of you?"

"Well, uh… we got in a fight with some men from yer crew" He said looking down. "If it makes ye feel better, they were gonna kill her but I stopped them. She has a nasty bruise on her head and I got this small scratch on me arm. We will...er I mean she will be fine" He smiled uneasily.

"ugh, when she wakes bring her up here, I must speak with her." She said waving him off. He didn't move. "Well go on and get her will you"

"Fine, but if she passes out its not my fault" He rolled his eyes and walked down to the main deck. He didn't want to wake her up, but he didn't really have a choice, she did have to get up anyways. He made his way down below deck and slipped inside the cabin. Thankfully for him, she had actually fallen asleep. He walked over to her side of the bed and kneeled down. She was laying on her side, hugging the blankets close to her. He gently brushed some of her hair out of the way so he could cup her face with one hand as she lay there. His hand was warm against her cool skin. She stirred and he moved his hand to her shoulder. Her eyes fluttered open. The instant her eyes were able to focus on him, a soft smile spread easily across her face. He smirked in return and stood up.

"I told ye I would be back to wake ye" He said.

"You also said you were going to fix your arm" She said as she pushed the blankets off of herself. "And yet, it is still wrapped in the same cloth as earlier." She said as she sat up. He forgot about that, he would just have to come up with some other reason.

"It had to wait, the captain wishes to speak with you" He said hoping she would just go with it.

"No, Jack. Your arm needs to be looked at and fixed up properly before anything else" She said sternly as she tried to stand up. She staggered a bit. Jack was about to help keep her from losing her balance, but she put a hand up to stop him.

"Are ye alright luv?" He asked concernedly.

"Not exactly, I still have an awful headache, but your arm needs looking at" She said trying to focus herself.

"When did ye become so concerned with my health?" He chuckled uneasily as he could see the fustration in her eyes. "Why don't ye just sit down again" He said as he sat down on the bed again and motioned for her to sit next to him. She staggered slightly before sitting down again.

"Since now. Now give me your arm" She demanded. He obliged, and she carefully unwrapped the cloth from his arm. She gasped at the size, and deepness of the wound, not to mention the large amounts of blood that pretty much covered the surrounding area of his arm.

"Oh my" She said gravely. "This is worse than I thought"

"Tell me doctor, can I keep my arm?" He asked jokingly and smiled, but his smile soon faded when he saw her irritated and unamused expression.

"Don't talk like that! You only need stitches" She continued in her dull and grave tone. "But I can't do it for you"

"And who exactly do you think will?" He asked, knowing that she would have to. "I know ye don't like blood, but if ye say its too bad to leave, then ye have to help me" He felt as if he was pleading but he didn't know why.

"Jack" She looked into his eyes. "I cannot do this for you, it will be to painful, for you mostly" She said before she looked away again.

"Sure ye can. It can't be that bad" He smiled warmly at her. "Tell ye what, I'll be with ye the whole time and what's the worst that could happen eh?"

"I can't believe you. Of course you will be here, its your arm" She said not looking forwards to it. Jack got up and approached the desk across the room. He started rummaging through the drawers.

"There must be a needle and thread in here somewhere" He muttered before he suddenly stopped. "Ah here we are" he said as he turned back to Angelica who frowned.

"Do I really have to do this?" She complained as he sat down next to her again.

"Yes, now take this" He said handing her a threaded needle.

"Ok, this will hurt." She warned as she pressed the needle into his arm near the wound.

"Damn!" He growled through gritted teeth as he gripped the bed next to him.

"Sorry, I will do this as fast as I can. Just hold on" She said quickly before she continued. She paused and looked up at him. He forced a smile, but she could see the pain in his eyes. A slight feeling of guilt washed over her.

"It's al..right...luv, just...keep...going" He barely managed to say through the pain.

"Ok ok." She said before she started stitching the rest of the wound together.

She continued working her way, stitching back and forth, up the wound, the whole while he clenched his jaw and stared at the ceiling as well as gripped the bed next to him. An expression of pain was apparent on his face although he was trying very hard to conceal it.

She sighed when she finished and tied off the thread before cutting it.

"There" She said thankful that it was over. He relaxed slightly, but pain still throbbed up his arm.

"Thanks" He said as he pulled her into a hug. "Now that wasn't that hard was it?"

"Yes, so don't make me do it again" She said hugging him as well.

He let go of her and immediately stood up.

"Now thats taken care of, the gracious captain wishes to see ye, and I should think ye would want to see her as well" He said as he opened the door for her and motioned for her to get up and follow him.

"Ugh, why again do I want to speak to her?" She asked tiredly as she stood up and strode over to the door.

"Because...just because. See for yerself" He said as he led her out of the cabin and up onto the main deck. The sun had risen more in the sky and the captain was still in the same place where Jack had left her. Angelica's headache was not helped by the sudden brightness. She shielded her eyes from the sun as she scanned the deck looking for the captain.

"Is that her up there?" She asked Jack as he led her up to the upper deck.

"You'll see" He stated as they approached the helm.

"Ah, Angelica! It's been far too long" Cristina smiled. "Good to see you up and about"

"Cristina?" Angelica said in disbelief. Cristina smiled and nodded. Angelica turned to Jack. "Why didn't you tell me?!" She asked angrily.


	23. Chapter 27

"I told ye that ye knew her, and that ye would want to speak with her as well." Jack argued. "I figured that it would be a better surprise if ye found out on yer own."

"Why?" Angelica hissed.

"I don't bloody know why, so get over it. Ye know now!" He returned in a similar tone. Cristina could tell they were together again. They were arguing over nothing just like they used to. She rolled her eyes.

"Will you two just shut it!" She demanded. They both stopped to look at her.

"Jack, for now just stay out of my way. I will deal with you later." She said before turning to Angelica. "As for you though, we have some catching up to do. It's been far too long" She smiled.

"It has been awhile" Angelica agreed. Cristina turned to go into her cabin, and waved for Angelica to follow her.

Jack didn't really know what he was going to do. He wasn't captain and he wasn't part of the crew so he didn't have anything he had to do. He decided that some rum would be good on a nice day such as this. He walked below deck to find some. He had barely taken two steps down the stairs before he was stopped by two gentlemen, both much larger than him.

"Where do ye think yer goin?" One of them asked.

"Uh...I wasn't going anywhere" Jack quickly said before turning to walk back up the stairs. He didn't get that far before they grabbed a hold of his arms.

"Oh no ye don't!" The other said. "The captain says yer to be put in the brig"

"Watch the arm won't ye" Jack said wincing at the pain that shot up his arm from the not fully healed wound. They walked him a few decks down until they reached the brig.

"Captain say we aren't to harm ye" The first one growled, and the other man smiled deviously.

"But what she don't know won't hurt her" The second man chuckled before punching him in the stomach causing him to double over, then kicking him in the shin making him collapse from the pain. They picked him up, threw him into the cell along with his hat and ripped jacket before they locked the door and both headed for the upper decks. Jack sat up and looked around.

"Good to see you again Cap't" A voice said from behind him. Jack turned to see Gibbs leaning against the wall of the ship.

"So they threw ye in here too I see." Jack said irritatedly. "Thanks for the warnin" Gibbs rolled his eyes.

"Well, cap't in order to warn someone bout somthin, ye have to have pretty fair warnin yerself eh." Gibbs retorted.

"I shoulda known she would pull somthin like this" Jack said shifting to lean against the bars of the cell. "It's gunna be a long day"

Meanwhile back in the cabin, Angelica sat down in the soft chair across from Christina's large desk.

"I can't believe it's really you" Christina said as she sat down at behind her desk. "I want to know everything" She said excitedly.

"Well, my life isn't that interesting, I want to know what happened to you" Angelica said even though she knew her friend well enough to know that she wouldn't let that answer go.

"All in good time. Now tell me...are you insane?" Cristina asked.

"No…" Angelica didn't really know what her friend was asking, but she could guess.

"Well then why on earth are you with Jack Sparrow?" She asked critically. "Of all the people, you are with the sole person who doesn't give a damn about anyone but himself. You know this"

"What can I say?" Angelica said quietly looking away. "He's not perfect, but I love him"

"He is no good for you" Christina said plainly. "It doesn't matter how many times he says he loves you too, he is the same person that hurt you before"

"I believe he can change, and infact he has changed. He is not the same man you met all those years ago." Angelica said defensively. "And I am not the same naive girl. I have changed as well. Trust me. I can handle my own relationships."

"Where are you guys going anyways, because that will really show how much he cares." Cristina figured Angelica would not say they were going to Spain to settle down.

"We are going after his ship" Angelica muttered quietly.

"Let me understand this, you mean he is taking you to go after his ship!?" Cristina asked harshly. Angelica sat forwards in her chair.

"It's not his fault! It's my fault that he has to, and I chose to go with him anyways" Angelica answered. "He told me not to go with him cause it's dangerous, but I insisted. It's not his fault"

"It sounds like his fault to me" Christina said sitting back in her chair. "Is it not his ship? And, if he really cares that much about you, he would have known that you are too good for him and stayed as far away as possible"

"Coming from someone who knows little on this subject" Angelica retorted. "Are we not friends still?"

"Yes we are. That is exactly how I can say this to you." Christina said plainly. "You two do not go together. Listen to me. Do not marry him"

"And here I thought friends supported each other" Angelica rolled her eyes.

"Then answer this, which of you thought it was a good idea to get married anyways?" Christina asked thinking she already knew the answer.

"Well, I overheard him talking about it with his friend, but I brought it up to him afterwards. Why does that matter?" Angelica asked.

"I see." Christina said knowingly leaning over her desk slightly. "Think about it. If he really cared enough to marry you, he would have brought it up himself"

"Why do you care?! It doesn't matter!" Angelica said angrily even though she was considering her friend's argument. Why didn't he ask her first? What would that mean for their relationship? She liked things how they were, she didn't want it to change. She didn't want to fight him anymore, although she did enjoy their banter occasionally. But what if he didn't really want to get…

"I care because you are my friend and I'm trying to give you advice" Christina said interrupting Angelica's thoughts. "Look, all I can say is, be careful. I may not know him as well as you, but I remember how he hurt you before, and I don't want to see that happen again."

"I didn't forget what he did, but I can't just get rid of my feelings for him." Angelica sighed.

"You sure as hell can try." Christina argued. "Just wait, I bet he will do something that will upset you. Then what? What will you do? How will you feel when he decides to leave you again?"

"He gave me his word that he wouldn't" Angelica defended.

"And how much, exactly, does his 'word' mean to you?" Christina asked. "And how exactly will his 'word' stop him from leaving you again?"

Angelica thought for a second. It was true, his word didn't really mean that much. He hadn't changed that much, and his 'word' had certainly never stopped him before, she thought.

"I guess...it won't" Angelica gave in.

"Precisely, now don't you see that he is just setting you up again?" Christina said.

"No... he wouldn't. Not again. Not after everything we just went through" Angelica said softly with a hint of uncertainty in her voice.

Cristina smiled deviously. Her plan was working. She had decided that she would have to break them up. She determined that Angelica would be better off without Jack. In order to do that, she would have to make Angelica doubt Jack's trustworthiness, and by Angelica's tone and expression, she could tell it was working. Now all she had to do was get Jack to do something that will make Angelica believe everything she had just told her.

"Ok, maybe he wouldn't but, maybe he would. How could I know anyways" Cristina said. "Lets talk about something else shall we?"

"Like...what exactly?" Angelica said now slightly suspicious.

"How about you tell me where you are really going. I know it isn't Spain" Cristina asked.

"Uh...I don't know what Jack wants to…" Angelica started to say before she was interrupted.

"I didn't ask where Jack was going, or what he wanted. I asked where you were going." Cristina explained.

"For now at least, I go where Jack goes. Wherever that is." Angelica said. "It isn't going to be easy to find the Queen Anne's Revenge"

"So thats why he wanted to know" Cristina whispered quietly to herself, remembering her conversation with Gibbs.

"What? Why who wanted to know?" Angelica could barely hear her and was confused.

"Oh, your friend that Sparrow sent to talk to me. He said something about that ship, and he asked if I had seen it around" Cristina said.

"Have you?" Angelica asked anxiously.

"I told him no, but I have indeed seen that ship." Cristina said. "It was docked, not two days ago, in Tortuga."

"What!?" Angelica jumped up from her seat. "I have to tell Jack!" Cristina looked thoroughly unenthused. Angelica turned to leave but was stopped by Christina's words.

"Where do you think you're going?" Cristina snapped.

"I'm going to talk to Jack" Angelica returned.

"Why?" Cristina now too rose to her feet and approached Angelica who was standing now near the door. "What is that ship to him?"

"We need to get aboard. Captain Barbossa has something we need" Angelica said directly.

"And what is that, might I ask?" Cristina asked.

"Information about a ritual" Angelica said vaguely. "A ritual that will can get his ship back."

"Ah, I see" Cristina replied.

"We need to come up with a plan and find that ship" Angelica said before she opened the door to the cabin letting the cool air rush in. "I'm going to tell Jack"

"Good luck" Cristina smiled knowing that Angelica would not check the brig, and would undoubtedly not be able to find Jack.

Angelica walked briskly down to the main deck. Cristina watched her from the upper deck. As soon as Angelica went below deck, Cristina stopped a crewman who was just about to walk down to the main deck.

"Lower a long boat, set up the oars, and leave it adrift." She ordered. "Make sure she does not go down to the brig at all costs. Tell everyone, that if she asks of Jack's where abouts, that he jumped ship and left. She cannot know he is still on the ship."

"Aye, ma'am" He said uneasily before running down to the main deck. Cristina smiled to herself as her plan began to fall into place. She watched some of her crew lower the long boat, set up the oars, and send it off into the sea.

Angelica rushed into her cabin hardly looking around before she started talking.

"Jack, I have to…" Angelica said excitedly until she realized he wasn't in there. Infact, none of his stuff was in there anymore. Perhaps he went looking for some rum, she thought. She turned and strode out of the cabin and walked a few decks down. It was completely empty of personnel, and there were no noises that she could hear so she went back up the stairs.

Maybe he was with Mr. Gibbs, she decided that was probably where he was. She weaved in and out of the crewmen who were working around the deck.

She stopped a younger gentleman who was walking by, holding a pile of ropes.

"Excuse me, but have you seen Jack, or Mr. Gibbs?" She asked sweetly.

"Uh, no miss I'm afraid I don't know who yer talking about" He replied.

"Don't tell me you haven't heard that Jack Sparrow is on board" She said now slightly irritated.

"Is he? Last I heard he jumped ship earlier this afternoon" He said nervously shrugging before he continued walking.

"¡Alto ahí!(Stop right there!)" She hollered at the young man. He stopped walking and turned around. She pulled out her sword and held it under his chin. He dropped the ropes and put his hands up, a worried expression passed over his face. "Tell me what I want to know." She said forcefully.

"What do you want to know exactly?" He asked.

"Where are Jack and Mr. Gibbs?!" She asked harshly.

"You may wish to speak with the captain regarding those matters, miss" He said. She lowered her sword. He quickly picked the ropes up off the floor and walked away speedily to avoid anymore questions.

She turned on her heels and stormed up to the main deck.

Cristina smiled as Angelica approached her.

"Back so soon? What did he say?" Cristina asked innocently.

"I can't find him. One of your crewmen told me he jumped ship." She said nervously hoping it wasn't true. "Tell me he didn't" Cristina turned around and scanned the area where the little longboat should have been.

"I hate to tell you, but it appears like he has" Cristina pointed to the small boat drifting in the distance behind them. "It looks like he left while we were talking earlier, he got pretty far" Angelica gasped and quickly turned away.

"No...he wouldn't" She said quietly to herself.

"But he did, and he didn't even tell you" Cristina said happy that her plan had worked so far.

"That bastard!" Angelica yelled. She pulled the ring off her finger and dropped it on the deck before she ran off to her cabin. She wanted to be alone, but she also wanted to be with Jack. She couldn't think. She slammed the door behind her, and not bothering to take off her coat, hat or boots, she threw herself onto the bed. She buried her face in the pillow and sobbed. She didn't want to think about what she would do now. She just wanted to lie there.

Back on deck, Cristina picked up Angelica's ring, and although unenthused to see her friend so emotionally distressed, she smiled at how well her plan was working. Now she had to confront Jack. This will be fun, she thought to herself as she made her way down to the brig.

Jack was still leaning against the bars of the cell when she approached them. They heard her footsteps and jumped up.

"What the hell is the meanin of this ye bloody wench!" Jack growled through the steel bars.

"Oh, whats the matter? Poor little Jack can't stand confinement?" She mocked. "Actually I have a message from your _dearly beloved_" She emphasized causing Jack to take interest in what she had to say.

"What is it? And why won't she tell me herself?" Jack snarled.

"She wanted me to give you this" She said handing him a small item. He stepped back and looked at it. He paled slightly and his stomach churned when he saw what it was. He couldn't move and he didn't know what to say. Gibbs took a step towards him, curious to see what had Jack acting so funny.

"Good God" He gasped. "Jack, are ye alright?" Jack didn't answer, too emotionally conflicted.

"Jack, snap out of it man" Gibbs said putting a hand on Jack's shoulder and giving him a small shake.

"What? Of...course. I'm perfectly perfect." He said monotonously. "Why didn't she just say somethin? Why couldn't she just tell me herself?"

"Well, lets just say, she couldn't _find_ a way to tell you" Cristina said slyly. Jack felt his face redden with anger.

"She could have just bloody told me!" He yelled. "Ugh, it was her idea anyways!"

"Cristina, you should go, he's best left alone when he's like this" Said Gibbs cautiously. She chuckled at his concern.

"Oh don't worry, I don't plan to watch his self destruction" She turned. "I'll be back to check on you later." She continued walking and made her way back to the upper deck. She was satisfied with herself. Jack would now think twice about trusting Angelica again, and if she was lucky, Angelica would not trust him either.

"Jack, sit and calm down" Gibbs said as he sat down against the wall of the ship again.

Jack was again transfixed by the ring in his hand. He returned it to its previous place on his hand. He sighed and let his head hit the bars of the cell.

"Whats the point?" He said dully. "Bloody wench!" he growled.

"Jack, don't speak of Angelica like that, you don't mean it."Gibbs said plainly.

"Oh, no Gibbs, I was referring to that bloody friend of hers" He mumbled. "We were fine until we got on this bloody ship!"

"You have to choose Jack" Gibbs said cautious to not anger his friend further. "Either, we stay here and you can hope to get back together with Angelica. Or, we escape and we go after getting your ship out of that bottle" Jack let himself fall to his knees.

"Gibbs, if ye haven't noticed, she left me again. She's not comin back this time." he sighed. "We escape or get released, either or. Then we'll go after me ship. There's nuthin left for me here" He muttered.

"Don't worry cap't. We'll get yer ship back" Gibbs said with false enthusiasm.

Jack felt awful. He felt like he had just been punched in the stomach. He thought of his ship, and how wonderful it would be to sail her again, but thoughts of Angelica's absence filled his mind. It would not be like he imagined because she would not be there with him. He turned and sat with his back once again against the bars. He decided that when he got out of there he would not be angry with her, but he would not speak to her unless spoken too. He did not want to continue their relationship, if only for either one of them to be hurt again. He closed his eyes trying to relax and clear his mind, but it wasn't working. Thinking of her was too painful. That was it. Pain. He rolled up his sleeve and pressed his good hand onto the healing wound. His arm throbbed, and he winced at the pain. But at least he could distract himself from thoughts of her for a short while. Although the pain in his arm was less than the pain in his chest, it took his mind off it ever so slightly.


	24. Chapter 28

A few hours passed. Angelica had cried herself to sleep, unaware of Jack who sat in silent agony down in the brig. She woke up with a start. Someone was knocking at the door.

"Uh..yes who is it?" She asked as she sat up sleepily. Cristina opened the door.

"Are you alright?" Cristina asked sweetly.

"What do you think?" Angelica hissed as she got up and strode passed Cristina out of the cabin. Cristina followed Angelica as she walked up on deck and stood by the rail overlooking the sea.

"I tried to tell you" Cristina said softly as she came to stand next to her. Angelica lowered her head and sighed.

"Yes, you did. You've told me before." Angelica said bitterly. "I should have listened. ¿por qué no me escucha nunca?"

"You never were known for taking advice, even your own" Cristina chuckled. "Perhaps this was a good lesson for you"

"Unfortunately…"Angelica mumbled.

"Cheer up Angie" Cristina gave her a nudge. Angelica looked up, a blank expression on her face. "How about a drink? You know, I recently received some wine as a gift. I think tonight would be a wonderful occasion, if you ask me." Angelica returned her gaze to the sea, clearly unenthusiastic about Cristina's idea.

"Come on, get over him already. You know it was bound to happen sooner or later." Cristina said slightly irritated that Angelica was being so stubborn.

"To be perfectly honest with you, I didn't expect him to leave this time." Angelica sighed.

"Hmm, well, if it makes you feel better, I'm sure he's still thinking about you." Cristina said.

"How would you know that? How could you even say that?" Angelica scowled. "If he was, he wouldn't have left"

"Well, uh, hmm." Cristina didn't really know how to answer that.

"You don't understand" Angelica muttered walking away. She was so upset that she decided that she would find some secluded part of the ship to just be alone and think. She walked below deck and down a few more flights of stairs before she came across two crewmen guarding the stairway down to the lowest deck. They had been talking, but stopped when she approached.

"Pardon me gentlemen" She said impatiently, not wanting to talk to anyone.

"Sorry miss, but access to this deck is restricted" One of them said. "B'sides, you don't want to go down by the prisoners. They're a filthy bunch the lot of them"

"Why? Who are they?" She asked curiously.

"Can't say, but trust us, miss, a pretty lady such as yourself shouldn't be around folk like them" The other said.

"I will go where I like. Now let me pass." She said now extremely annoyed. "Anyways, the captain ordered me to speak with them." She lied figuring that they wouldn't know the difference. The two men glanced at each other and shrugged. They moved and let her pass. She made her way down the stairs. It was really dark and quiet down there. Perfect for her to be alone. She crept over barrels of supplies and around the wooden pillars that held the ship up. She found a nice stack of barrels to sit on. She had not even noticed Gibbs and Jack in the cell near the stairs she walked down, but she was now out of earshot of anything they could have been saying. Not more than a minute later did she hear heavy footsteps on the decks above frantically running about. She was curious to know what was going on but she was in no mood to actually go find out.

* * *

Back on deck, Cristina was about to follow her down the stairs, but she heard a yell from a crew member. She turned to him so he would repeat himself.

"Ship ahead. Portside!" He repeated.

"Colors?" She demanded.

"I don't know, I can't tell, they are too far away" He replied. She stormed back up to the helm.

"You better find out. I want to know who the hell they are!" She ordered as she pulled out her telescope. The oncoming ship was massive compared to theirs. Their sails were a deep maroon color, and the ship itself was moving faster than possible even with the wind. She couldn't tell who it was, but she knew they were not likely to be friendly.

"All hands to stations. Run out the guns!" She bellowed. They were still off in the distance, but she wanted to be ready for whoever it was. That meant knowing who they were. There was only one person who had a good chance of knowing who was on that other ship. She grumbled to herself as she walked down to the stairs. She picked up a lantern and brought it with her, since she knew how dark it was down there.

* * *

In the minutes before…

"Jack, do you have any idea how we're goin to get outta here?" Gibbs asked anxiously.

"Damnit Gibbs, have we not been over this before?" Jack replied irritated about being stuck in there, about not having his ship, about not being near Angelica, about everything. "I'm workin on it."

"Ok now Jack, when we do get out of here, don't let yourself get caught up with her again" Gibbs warned. "If you don't we may not be able to get off this blasted ship"

"Aye, agreed" Jack said with a look of inevitable dismay for his realization that he would have to be without Angelica.

Gibbs was about to say something but Jack shook his head and gestured to the stairs. He heard footsteps but he couldn't tell who it was, and their cell was not in a direct line of sight with the stairs. They faded and soon disappeared completely. Jack wasn't sure who it was but he didn't really care. Not long after, they heard the crew running around on the upper decks, he assumed they were getting to their stations and loading the guns.

"If I know Cristina at all, she will let us out the next time she comes down here." Jack whispered. "It's all about sayin the right words"

"And what would you know about talkin to women?" Gibbs asked critically.

"I know a lot, thank...shh" Jack interrupted himself. He heard another set of footsteps but this time in their direction, accompanied by a light.

Angelica saw this and she sat up. She didn't see who it was but she crept towards the light to find out.

"Ah Cristina, back so soon eh? Feeling guilty are ye?" Jack chuckled and stood up. "Come to let us out have ye?" Angelica got closer and hid slightly behind a barrel. She couldn't see the prisoners but she saw Cristina holding a lantern up in front of one of the cells.

"Don't flatter yourself" She said plainly. "I believe you can help me."

"Ah, I see how it is, but the real question is, do you?" Jack said slyly. "What do ye want? And I demand we be released if we are to provide ye with an answer"

"Are you familiar with a large ship with maroon sails?" Cristina asked flatly.

"Oh now what fun is that? You'll have to be a bit more specific, or let me look at the ship me self, unless ye want to be blown to bits without knowin yer enemy" Jack said convincingly.

"Ugh, fine, but you better know who it is!" She said as she pulled out the keys to the door. "Oh, and stay away from Angelica, she is still getting over you!" Angelica leant forwards to listen closer. She couldn't quite tell who Cristina was talking to, and she wasn't close enough to hear his voice correctly, but she could make out some of what he was saying.

"Oh don't worry Crissy darlin, I will be as far away from her as physically possible. B'sides she was the one who called us off in the first place, I should think she would be stayin away from me as well" He said as she opened the door. "Finally. Gibbs get up we're leaving!" He shouted. Jack strode past Cristina who rolled her eyes, and right by Angelica who gasped at the sight of him. The thought of him as the one who Cristina was talking to did not even cross her mind, but now she was shocked. He hadn't noticed her, and he kept walking, while Gibbs and Cristina trailed behind him. She was speechless, not that she had anyone to talk to; she was alone again. She kept her distance as she followed them up the stairs back on to the main deck. By the time she got up there, Jack, Gibbs and Cristina were all standing at the helm.

"Okay Jack. Now do you feel like telling me who they are?" Cristina asked impatiently. Jack wasn't even looking at the ship, instead he was too busy inspecting his fingernails. He didn't need to look, he knew who it was even before he was released.

"Oh, yes. That ship be the Queen Anne's Revenge captained by Barbossa and crewed by his latest bunch of filthy miscreants." He said before turning to Gibbs. As soon as she heard who Jack said it was, Cristina quickly stepped away and began shouting orders to her crew.

"I have a plan to get aboard." Jack continued.

"Do ye now?" Gibbs said sceptical of many of his past schemes, and now curious what he had thought of this time. "And what be this brilliant plan of yers?"

"First we shall need to…" Jack had started but was interrupted by Angelica who had approached them.

"Jack!" She exclaimed happily as she threw her arms around him and gave him a soft kiss on the cheek. "I thought you left"

Jack didn't hug her back and shot a look of confusion at Gibbs who returned it by shaking his head.

Jack didn't know what to do, except that he had to make himself stick with the plan he made earlier. He pulled her off him and turned to Gibbs.

"hmm, as I was saying, we need to…" He started to say again but Angelica interrupted him.

"You aren't going to say anything?" Angelica asked, sounding hurt by his lack of reaction. "No apology?"

Jack glanced at her, but quickly looked away to keep himself focused.

"I did nothin that I feel is worthy of an apology." He said calmly. "What is it with you anyways? Wait, nevermind, explain later, I have not the time nor the patients to talk about this right now" He made a hand gesture and turned back to Gibbs. Her face reddened with anger. How could he talk to her like that? Sometimes he could be so irritating. She grabbed his shoulder and spun him around to face her again.

"Don't you talk to me like that!" She growled.

"And why shouldn't I? I can talk to you how I like" He retorted.

"Because I'm your fiancée, and I will not be treated like that!" She scowled at him.

"Hmm, is that so?" He questioned knowing that she obviously forgot some things. "It appears to me like you forfeit that, earlier today in fact. For otherwise how would I come to have this" He held up his hand showing her the ring. Her jaw dropped. She gapped at the ring on his hand, speechless.

"As you have obviously forgotten, you broke up with me this time, and I forgive ye." He said plainly. "But don't think for a second that ye can just come running back whenever it's best suited for ye."

"Jack!" Cristina yelled from the main deck. "Get down here!"

"Ta" Jack said as he turned and began walking down the stairs to see what Cristina wanted.

"Jack wait I…" Angelica yelled after him. He stopped halfway down the stairs, but without turning around he continued walking.

"An awful thing you did to him" Gibbs grumbled from behind her. "Ye should of seen how upset he was after you left him this time." She spun around to see the older man leaning on the rail with a disapproving expression.

"What are you talking about? I did no such thing!" She defended.

"Don't tell me ye didn't send yer friend, _Captain_ Cristina, to tell Jack of your 'change of heart'" He said accusingly. "Then to come right back to him. That was not the best idea you ever had"

"I did not!" She objected.

"Then how did Cristina come to give him the ring that he had given you, I wonder" He said. "He was tryin to get over you for the longest time. That was, until he found you in England posing as an imposter."

"I don't understand." She mumbled, confused at what the older man was telling her.

"I told him it wasn't a good idea to bring you along. He should of listened." He said. "But, I suppose we 'av to remember who we're talkin 'bout. Jack listens to no one. No one but you that is...or was, I guess now it would be"

"I still don't understand. What happened?" She was confused.

"Weren't you listenin to anythin him and I were sayin?" He sighed impatiently when he noticed how much closer the Revenge was to their ship now. "Best hear it from him. Anyways, you 'av more important things to worry about right now"

"Like what?" She questioned harshly.

"Like that!" He pointed to the approaching vessel. "Hope ye be prepared to fight!" He said quickly before he moved quickly down the stairs. Angelica followed him over to where Jack was now arguing with Cristina.

"Jack we are no match for them!" Cristina stated. "We are outgunned, and out manned. Not to mention that their ship is clearly out of our weight class!"

"Fear not Crissy darlin. I have a plan." Jack said smirking enthusiastically. "A plan in which we all get what we want"

"And what exactly is your plan?" Gibbs asked.

"The details aren't important Mr. Gibbs. Surely you know that" Jack said happily. "And Crissy, just steer the ship on an intercept course"

"Meaning you don't really have a plan." Angelica said plainly. Jack rolled his eyes.

"Non sense." He said waving her off as he turned towards the bow of the ship. "I always have a plan. I thought you would have known that out by now"

"And what exactly is that supposed to mean?" Angelica hissed.

"Nothing at all" He said turning back to face them.

"Jack, what exactly is your plan?" Cristina asked sharply, cutting off Angelica from questioning him again.

"Tell me somthing." He said stepping towards her. "Do you trust me?" He asked.

Angelica rolled her eyes.

"Do I have a choice?" Cristina asked. Gibbs shook his head at her question. "I guess I don't."

"Good" Jack said as he stepped back and turned around again. Jack got up onto the rail of the ship and started climbing the rigging up to the crowsnest. Angelica followed him, even though she didn't really like high places. Gibbs and Cristina figured it could be a while before either of them came down, and there were more things to be done.

"Get down lad" Jack said to the boy who was positioned as the look out. "And get yerself a sword. You'll need it"

"Aye sir" The boy said nervously as he cautiously made his way back down to the main deck. Jack stood on the small platform and looked out over the sea ahead of them, his dreadlocks blowing in the now much stronger wind. Angelica pulled herself up next to him and followed his gaze before turning to him. It was not often to find a ship with a railing-less platform, but of course that was how this one was. She didn't like it, so she stood closely next to him without being 'too' close.

"What are we doing?" She yelled against the wind.

"I don't believe _we_ are doing anything" He replied without turning to her. "I'm lookin for a way to execute my plan."

"And what plan is that again?" She asked tugging on his arm to get him to look at her.

"Ow, stop that" He said pulling his arm away. "What are ye doing up here anyways? You hate high places."

"I want to know what you're planning" She said. "And who are you to tell me what I like and dislike?"

He pulled out his telescope and returned his gaze to the oncoming ship.

"Oh now Angelica, we may not be 'together' anymore, but that does not mean that I don't know ye still." He chuckled as he continued scanning the deck of the Revenge. "B'sides, I clearly remember the expression on yer face when we came to that blasted ravine on our way to the fountain of youth. The ravine that I saved ye from havin to jump into, cause guess what...I know what ye'r afraid of"

"What?!" She was astonished at what he said. She wasn't sure what was more shocking to her, the fact that he just explained what he was saying earlier about their relationship, or that he thought he knew her fears and could possibly use them against her. Neither of which were pleasant thoughts.

"Ye heard me. I am quite certain I know what ye'r afraid of." He restated. "Ah, there ye are you slimy git…" he said as he spotted the all too familiar captain. Dressed head to toe in black, and topped with his signature large feathered hat, was Barbossa standing by the railing on the quarterdeck. His ship wasn't that far away, they could barely hear him yelling at his crew, but through the telescope, Jack watched him making grandiose gestures to his crew as they scurried around loading the guns, battening down the hatches, and securing the rigging. They had maybe a few minutes before they would be broadsided by the larger ship. Jack intended to carry out his plan, and therefore had to get moving.

"I hate that man" Jack growled as he lowered the telescope from his face. "This is gunna be fun" He smirked deviously.

"Oh yes so much fun" She said sarcastically and rolled her eyes.

"I do not appreciate yer false tone of enthusiasm" He said as he turned back to her. "I have a plan to execute. Now if ye'd be so kind as to move over" He would need to get around her to get back to the netting that they had climbed up. She didn't move. She took one glance at the deck below and had no desire to. She remembered worrying for Jack when he jumped off the cliff, but this was different. This time she was worried about herself falling. It was not often that she was in high places, and when she was, she didn't enjoy it. Although it wasn't quite as high up as the ravine, it was close enough to let thoughts of death by falling fill her mind.

"Oi, ye can't stand there the whole day, unless ye plan on dyin up here" He said rather nonchalantly.

"What?" She snapped out of her thoughts and looked back at him.

"Fine then" He said, before he impatiently grabbed her by her shoulders and moved her to switch places with him. He let go of her as soon as he was on the side nearest the netting and was about to start climbing down when he realized she was gripping his shirt, and rather tightly at that. "What are ye holdin me for? I gotta get down off here!" He said slightly confused and distracted.

"Sorry, I didn't even realize" She said before quickly letting go of him.

"Not afraid of heights, eh?" He chuckled as he started climbing down the netting.

"Ha ha. Very funny!" She yelled after him before she too made her way down the netting.

No sooner did they reach the main deck did they hear Cristina yelling to them.

"Jack. Angelica. Prepare to fight!" She yelled from the helm. She put the ship on a course that would run them parallel to the Revenge like Jack said, and although they did not have as much fire power, it was their best defense since they were not nearly fast enough to flee. Not to mention that the Revenge was equipped with both bow and stern chaser guns, therefore, makinging it impossible to get away even with proper speed.

The crew sat ready at their stations, guns loaded and ready to fire on command. Jack withdrew his sword and walked up the stairs to the helm, followed by Angelica.

She pulled out her sword as well and stood nervously next to him. She was still wondering what his plan was, but she had not time to think of the possibilities, for they were about to pass right next to the Revenge. It was quiet, except for soft murmurs for the crew as they awaited their target, and orders to fire.

"Steady men!" Jack yelled as he walked over to the rail of the ship and scowled at Barbossa, who didn't even see him.


	25. Chapter 29

Barbossa stood proudly on the quarterdeck sizing up his target and overseeing his crew. Against his mighty ship, this tiny vessel would cost them nothing. They had almost double the guns, and at least twice the crew compliment of the smaller ship. There might not be much reward from this attack, but the crew had been acting up lately so he decided it would do them good to attack a ship now and then between stops at port. He had been looking for her for weeks now. He had gone through all of Blackbeard's belongings and came across something very interesting. He was determined to find it, but that meant he would need her. But for now, he shifted his attention back to the task at hand.

He grinned devilishly as his ship was nearly in position to open fire. It wouldn't take long to irreversibly cripple the smaller ship, while taking little damage to his own. It would be over quickly.

On the other ship, Jack watched expectantly as the ships lined up.

"We have to shoot first" He said turning to Christina who nodded. "Fire now!"

"Fire all!" She yelled to her crew, and not a moment later, explosions of noise filled the air.

"What are ye waitin fer?! Fire the guns you bloomin cockroaches!" Barbossa yelled, then several others repeated the order to the lower decks. A shower of cannon balls impacted the smaller ship. Rails splintered and glass shattered, throwing all manner of debris into the air and water. The ship pitched violently at the impact, tossing all those who were not holding on to the rails to the deck, including Angelica and Cristina. They landed near Jack's feet. He offered each of them a hand. Angelica ignored him and pushed herself up and off the deck. Cristina didn't care; she took his hand and nodded in appreciation. At least he wasn't hated by everyone, he thought. He decided not to say anything to Angelica. It was bad enough that they were being attacked by his old enemy, but starting an argument with her was not something he wanted to do right now.

"You said you had a plan!" Cristina yelled over the noise of cannons in the background.

"Aye!"Jack shouted and crouched below the rail quickly as a cannon ball hit the deck right next to them. Splinters of wood rained down on them. Cristina and Angelica crouched near him to avoid more debris.

"Crissy, this ship is no match. We must take the fight to them!" He said loudly to make sure he was heard over the battle noise. She wasn't really paying attention. She was too focused on the total devastation caused to her ship. Men were sprawled across the deck, splintered wood was everywhere, the main mast was on the verge of collapse. It was a mess.

"Crissy, luv, listen" he said putting a hand on her shoulder to get her attention. She turned to him, on the verge of tears; she looked into his eyes, afraid of what he was going to say.

"I know what this ship is to you, but we have to go. Now" He tried to sound as understanding as possible under the circumstances. Angelica had completely stopped paying attention, and therefore, luckily for Jack, didn't hear this new tone he took with Cristina.

"Are you insane!?" Cristina didn't really like the thought of leaving her ship to be sunk, but she also didn't want to die.

"No. Now follow me, but ye both better watch yerselves, cause I can't be worryin 'bout either of ye gettin hurt." Jack said before he stood up and turned about to walk away. "I will not let either of you stay here to die."

Cristina glanced at Angelica, who merely shrugged at his last words.

"Where are you going!?" Cristina yelled after him.

"I'm gettin off this bloody ship. And yer comin with me" He yelled back to her.

"Ok" Cristina said as she quickly got off the deck and stood by him. "Angelica come on, we are leaving!" Angelica rolled her eyes and got up to follow them.

He headed down to the main deck trying to avoid debris all the way. Shots continued to be fired, and both ships took damage, however, Cristina's more so than the Revenge. Jack made his way over to Gibbs who was stumbling around, trying to avoid being shot dead.

"Gibbs fetch the ropes, we're gettin off this ship!" Jack yelled to him.

"Aye sir" and with that Gibbs scrambled below deck to fetch the grappling hooks. Jack turned back to face Cristina and Angelica who were right behind him.

"Crissy, how are ye with heights and rope swingin?" He asked. He wasn't worried about Angelica, more so about Cristina. If Cristina didn't make it, and he was left alone with Angelica, he could imagine it would not be a pleasant experience. If Cristina died, Angelica would be devastated, and he would be blamed for it. Therefore, his main goal was to get both of them aboard the Revenge, and deal with Barbossa's crew when they got there.

"Uh, I have never done it" She replied wary of where he was going with it.

"Fine, I'll get ye across." He said plainly. "Angelica, since ye aren't afraid of heights, it should be no problem for ye"

"Jack, I don't think I…" Angelica had started to say but was interrupted.

"Alright, thats the new plan then" Jack said happy with his decision. "Ok, we will swing across from the quarterdeck." Angelica was uneasy about the whole idea. Besides for her fear of heights, she didn't like how Jack was treating her friend better than he treated her.

"Here ye are, cap't" Gibbs panted as he ran up to them, the ropes slung over his shoulder.

"It's about time" Jack said. "Now, we just swing on over there, and fight. Order who ever is left of yer crew to do the same, then get yerself back up here!" Cristina nodded before quickly running below deck.

Jack thought things were going fairly well, besides for them being on an inferior ship, that was until he heard an all too familiar voice.

"Hands to graplens! Prepare to board!" Barbossa shouted at his crew.

A shiver went up Jack's spine when he remembered the battle between the Pearl and the Interceptor, in which Barbossa gave the same order and not soon after, they were all captured. He knew what was coming next.

"All hands, prepare to fight!" He yelled to the the crew as he pulled out his sword again.

"Jack, what are you doing?" Angelica asked from behind him. He rolled his eyes and turned to face her.

"What does it look like? We are defending the ship" He said as if the answer was obvious. " I suggest ye...watch out"

Only moments later, some Barbossa's crew landed with a thud on the deck. Jack raised his sword and pushed Angelica back away from the rail, as he immediately found himself fighting a slightly larger man. He had broad shoulders and a heavier fisque. Jack ducked and dodged, and their swords clashed. No longer was cannon fire the main noise to be heard, for now the ringing of swords filled the air.

After being pushed out of the way, Angelica pulled out her sword and began fighting a man around her size. He was slightly taller and he appeared somewhat familiar. However, this familiarity would not stop her from fighting him.

"What is a beautiful woman, such as yourself doing on a ship like this?" The man asked as he swiftly dodged her sword only inches from his face.

"Why...do..you...care!?" She hissed as she blocked his sword from slicing her arm.

"Well, if you ask me, you look like you deserve much better" He smirked at her before he quickly ducked, avoiding her swing.

"Just stop and let me kill you!" She said frustrated by his agility.

"Oh, you couldn't if you wanted to. As a matter of fact, you obviously can't take your eyes off me" He remarked.

"Only because you are on our ship!" She scoffed. She did have to admit, he was good looking, and she did find him amusing to listen to.

"I don't think so" He said as he lunged towards her, causing her to jump back. "Has anyone told you that you look amazing all defensive like that"

"No, why, do you like it?" She asked playfully. "Because, I bet I look better on the offensive" She swung at him, but he forcefully blocked it, causing her to drop her sword. She put her hands up and stepped back slowly. He stepped towards her until she was against the mast. He held the sword up under her chin.

"You wouldn't kill a defenseless woman, would you?" She asked fearfully. He smiled deviously.

Across the deck, Jack managed to get the larger man to fall over the rail and into the sea. He spun and scanned the deck. He saw Gibbs and Cristina fighting a few men on the quarterdeck, along with miscellaneous crew members fighting on the main deck, but he didn't see Angelica. Uh-oh, he thought. He scanned the deck once more before he saw her pinned against the mast. He had to get over there, but of course, another of Barbossa's crew stepped in front of him.

"I don't have time for this!" He growled as he impatiently fought him.

"Well, I could be persuaded to not kill you" The man said with a slightly wild look in his eyes. "how 'bout a kiss sweetheart" She sighed, but then she saw Jack glancing at her as he fought. Perfect. She could take this opportunity make him realize what he did to her.

"Ok" She quickly said when she saw Jack had finished with the guy he was fighting and was now on his way over to her.

"Really? That was easy" The man said happily as he lowered his sword.

"Shut up" She said as she grabbed his face and kissed him. He put his hands on her waist and she put her arms around him pulling him closer. She pulled away, and looked over his shoulder just in time to see Jack stop walking. He gritted his teeth. Oh that whelp was going to get it, he thought. He didn't want to show his amount of enragement in front of Angelica, but he couldn't hold it all in. He marched forward towards them, brandishing his sword. He stood right behind the man who was still holding Angelica.

"Oi, you there!" He yelled to get his attention. The man spun around to face him, only to be met with a blow to the face. Jack had punched him with the hilt of his sword still in hand. Angelica gasped but Jack payed her no attention. The man pushed himself off the deck and stood to face Jack.

"You no good son of a b…" The man began to say.

"Shut it, before I spill yer guts all over the deck!" Jack growled holding his sword up to the man. Angelica decided she could go farther to get at Jack. She quickly stepped between them.

"Angelica get out of the way!" Jack sneered, he was not in the mood for her attitudes. "That man is the enemy, get away from him. He will kill you, given the chance! Do you really trust him?!"

"You don't know. He is more of a gentleman that you have ever been!" Of course she didn't mean it, she just met him, but she had to make Jack feel guilty, or at least a little jealous.

They were obviously too focused on their argument than the fact that the ship had been taken and they were being surrounded by Barbossa's crew, including the man who had been fighting Angelica.

"Drop your weapons!" The man yelled. Jack stopped talking, quickly looked around and rolled his eyes. He dropped his sword when he saw Cristina, Gibbs, and a few other crew members being held with their hands tied behind them. The man grabbed some rope and bound his and Angelica's hands behind each of them.

"You should've listened to him you know." The man said dubiously.

"Aye, ye should've listen to me" Jack agreed.

"Quiet you!" The man yelled at him, before he turned back to the rest of the crew who were now standing around and making their way back to the ship. "Get the captives to the captain!"

A gangplank was put up between the two ships. The captives were forced to cross it, and when they reached the other side, they were forced to their knees in front of the captain.

"Well, look who we have here lads!" Barbossa said. "One Angelica Teach, and one Jack Sparrow"

Jack smirked. "There should be a captain, in there somewhere"

"Aye, but ye be on my ship" Barbossa smiled wickedly.

"Lock these four in the brig!" He motioned towards Jack, Angelica, Cristina and Gibbs. "The rest have the option to join the crew, or to go back and go down with their ship!"

The four were dragged off down several flights of stairs to the brig. They were all forced into a cell, and left alone shortly thereafter. Jack immediately sat down against the wall of the ship and let his hat cover his eyes. He succeeded in getting aboard, and most everyone was still alive. He felt pretty good about everything unrelated to Angelica. He just wanted to forget that for a while.

* * *

**A/N ****A special thanks to guest reviewer 'Rumlover' whose idea influenced this chapter's events.**


	26. Chapter 30

It was silent except for the natural creaking of the ship. No one was in the mood to talk.

Gibbs didn't care that they had been captured since he trusted Jack's judgment of the situation. He was content to just sit there for a while.

Angelica, on the other hand, couldn't stop thinking. She was upset. She was angry at Jack for breaking up with her. She was irritated that he wasn't talking to her. She wanted to know what was wrong with him, but of course, because of his ego she knew he would never say anything. She needed an explanation. She just wasn't sure if she wanted to hear it. She could ask him later though, for now she just wanted to think.

Cristina was completely crushed. She sat silently trying to fight back tears that threatened to fall on account that she had no idea what happened to the rest of her crew, and she had just lost her ship that she had had for many years. She didn't want to think about anything, she, like Jack, just wanted to forget and be able to think about something else. She couldn't though. The thought of fates that could have befallen her crew filled her mind and caused her even more pain. She pulled her knees to her chest, and buried her face in her hands. She just let go, no longer fighting the tears that silently rolled down her cheeks.

Jack was messing with his many rings. He would take them all off and put them back on one by one, over and over. He was clearly bored and distracted. He wasn't paying any attention to the other three until he missed his hand and dropped one of his rings on the deck. He didn't see where it rolled to. He first looked to Gibbs who seemed to be napping. He then looked to Angelica who had been watching him but quickly looked away. There it was, it managed to get over by Cristina who was paying no attention at all, being too concerned with her own problems. He wasn't sure why she was upset. He had never been around her when she was emotionally distressed so he didn't know whether she prefered to be alone, or if she would rather talk. He knew Angelica was finicky. She would get angry if he ever tried to talk to her while she was this upset, but then she would get even more upset if he didn't. He did know that Angelica and Cristina were two very different people; what harm could a few words do, he wondered, it wasn't like he had anything else to do. He slowly shifted over until he was next to her. She looked up apparently not sure what he was doing. Angelica looked back at him, curious about what he was doing as well.

"Just gettin my ring" He smiled, holding it up before he put it back on his hand. "Oi, are ye alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine" She mumbled.

"Oh I see. And that's why yer cryin yer eyes out is it?" He raised an eyebrow at her.

"What do you want Jack?" She muttered.

"I want to know if yer ok, and what yer all upset about" He said plainly. "Why don't ye tell me what's wrong" Angelica might not want to talk to him now, but that didn't mean he couldn't talk to Cristina. Besides, they had plenty of time on their hands, and sitting in silence was not going to make it go by any faster.

"Why?" She asked, still suspicious of his motives.

"Because...why not eh? Maybe I can help ye" He said optimistically giving her a slight nudge on the shoulder. "What else have we got to do? Anythin that we have to say, might as well say it now"

Angelica heard this and could not wait for him to start talking. She watched and listened to him try and make her friend feel better, and wished he would be there like that for her, but the way things were looking now it might never happen.

"I failed" Cristina finally said, letting her head fall back into her hands.

Well, that's a start at least, he thought. He put a sympathetic hand on her shoulder.

"Failed who?" Jack urged her to tell him. "or failed at what?"

"I...I failed as a captain. I..I...I failed my crew!" She whimpered.

"Oi, look at me." He said softly. She slowly lifted her gaze to meet his. "You did not 'fail'"

"Yes...I..did" She sputtered. He put his arms around her, pulling her to him.

"No, It wasn't yer fault, Crissy" He said in a hushed voice. "Yer crew knew the dangers of the sea when they joined ye"

She cried into him, finding comfort in his warm embrace.

"It's alright Crissy." He said gently. "Let it all go. It's alright."

She suddenly realized, amidst her tears, that this was the side of Jack that Angelica had fallen in love with. He was actually kind, caring, and understanding. What had she done? She finally understood what Angelica saw in Jack, and what had she done; she took that away from her. She felt awful. She decided, as safe and comfortable she felt in that moment with Jack comforting her, it wasn't right. She pulled away from him and he let her go.

"That's better" He smiled. "Everyone has their 'moments'. And when those moments arrive, it's best to have someone to talk to"

"Yeah, I guess so. I just didn't take you for the listening or caring type." She said wiping the remaining tears off her face.

"That's because he isn't" Angelica spoke up envious of how Jack was treating her friend.

"Oh, I'm not so sure" Cristina said glancing at Jack who was now glaring at Angelica. "You don't really believe that"

"Trust me, I know. He is not the caring type." Angelica said.

"Oh, and of course that would be you. But wait, ye sat there while your so called 'best friend' cried 'er eyes out." He replied, insulted by her words. "And don't ye feel guilty?"

"Will you two just shut up." Cristina said harshly. They both glanced at her. "Neither of you believe what you're saying, so just stop talking"

"Sure, it be fine with me to sit here in silence" Jack shrugged.

"Fine then, just sit there like the lazy bastard that you are!" Angelica huffed. "See if I care!"

"Well, may I just say, that obviously you do, or you wouldn't have said it" Jack said nonchalantly.

Angelica rolled her eyes.

She watched him sitting there. They certainly had plenty of time on their hands, and he was right, it would be a long time sitting in silence.

"Jack" She said carefully, not sure if he would talk anymore. Cristina glanced at her, but Jack didn't even look up.

"Aye, what is it?" He asked enthusiastically.

"Look at me will you" She said irritated by the tone of his response. He immediately looked up at her.

"Spit it out will ye. What's on yer mind now?!" He said in a less than friendly tone. "Take yer time, we just so happen to have _all_ day"

"I want to know" She said plainly.

"You want to know what?" He asked skeptically. He was still in no mood to argue with her, but if she insisted, he would.

"What do you think?! I want to know why you left me again!" She hissed. At this Cristina looked up. Oh-no, she thought, not this again, she would have to find a way to tell them. They had to get back together. She felt guilty.

"Ha, leave you?! I did no such thing. I swore I wouldn't, and I was completely prepared to stand by that." He growled. "In fact, if it were up to me, we would have been married already! It was you who had a sudden change of heart. Don't ye dare think that ye can blame me for yer decision!"

"What decision?" She defended.

"Don't play dumb now. Anyway,I think we best not talk 'bout this right now" He grumbled, looking down again.

"I think we should! As you said we have plenty of time while we're are stuck in here. By your doing, I might add" She said accusingly.

"Shut it!" He commanded, looking up again. "Fine, ye want to talk, then lets talk shall we?!"

"Yer right! Ye didn't tell me a goddamn thing!" He barked. "Ye sent Crissy to tell me for ye. So ye didn't have to!"

"What?!" She had no recollection of that. "I did not!" He stopped listening and jumped to his feet. He thought he heard footsteps coming down the stairs.

"No she didn't" Crissy tried to say but only Angelica was listening to her.

"Quiet!" He said impatiently.

"No. Listen to me!" Angelica demanded, getting to her feet as well.

"Shh!" He quickly wrapped his arm around her head and covered her mouth with his hand. She tried to pry his hand off her face, but that only caused him to grip her tighter. She struggled against him for a few second before giving up. He was sure she would yell at him now if he let her go. He listened as the footsteps got closer. She noticed them too. He let her go slowly and stepped to the door of the cell to see who it was. It was the guy that Angelica had fought.

"Captain wishes to speak with her" He pointed to Angelica.

"Hmm, let me think... No." Jack retorted. "The _captain_ would find it more useful to talk with me"

"Fine. I'll take you first." The man said. "Any last words?" He joked, he knew the captain didn't often kill his captives so quickly.

However, Jack didn't know if he was being serious or not. He hadn't thought that he would not come back. Oh well, he could probably talk himself out of it. But he turned back to the other three anyways.

"Crissy, catch!" He tossed her a small object. "Hold on to it will ye? If I be goin to die, then I'd rather not be the one wearin it, it holds too many memories." He winked. "Thanks luv, see ye 'round alright"

"Ok Jack, goodbye" She replied softly, and nodded giving him a weak smile. Jack smiled in return and turned his attention to his first mate. He was still sleeping so Jack gave him a weak kick to wake him up.

"Gibbs, pleasure sailin with ye mate" Jack said grimly.

"Same to ye, cap't" Gibbs responded sleepily. Lastly, Jack turned to face Angelica.

"Jack, what are you doing?" She asked nervously. "Don't..."

"Angelica, ahem" He cleared his throat. He put a hand on her shoulder and looked into her eyes. "If this really is goodbye, then I am going to just say this. As you are the only woman I have ever had..er..feelings...for, I respect yer decision to leave me, and I only want ye to be happy. I want ye to know, I...love ye...Always have and always will, no matter what...so uh... goodbye" He promptly turned away from her to keep his emotions under control.

"What?" She said, barely audible.

The man opened the cell and Jack stepped out. The man slammed the door behind him, and swiftly locked it.

"Move it!" The man yelled at Jack who was watching Angelica.

"Everythin will be ok" Jack called back as he started walking away.

Their footsteps grew quieter as they left the deck.

Jack was led up the stairs and onto the main deck. The ship had yet to move after the battle. He saw some of Cristina's crew being tied up to the base of the mast of her ship. He saw a few a Barbossa's crew loading the cannons once more. They're gunna sink the other ship with all those men on board. Wow. He is really in a bad mood today, he thought as he was led up the stairs to the quarterdeck and to the doors of the captain's cabin, where Barbossa was sitting at his desk. The man left Jack for a moment to inform his captain that he had returned with the prisoner.

"Cap't, I brought the prisoner" He said proudly.

"Don't just stand there! Bring her in!" Barbossa growled. The man quickly walked out.

"You! Get in here!" He yelled at Jack who was leisurely leaning on the rail looking over the ship.

"Aye aye _sir_" Jack said sarcastically, as he sauntered past him into the room.

"Ah Hector. Long time no see" He smirked. Barbossa sneered and stood up.

"Sparrow! What are ye doin up here?!" He barked.

"Just out for a stroll, as it were" Jack said casually.

"Ugh...I told him to bring Ms. Teach! Not you!" He sat down again.

"It's hard to find a good crew these day, eh?" Jack asked as he wandered around a bit, glancing at anything that could be of any help to him.

"Aye, these poor saps have no clue" Barbossa muttered. "And what, might I ask, are ye doin in this part of the sea?"

"Oh nuthing of much importance I assure you." Jack said plainly.

"Now why am I disinclined to believe ye, I wonder?" Barbossa asked distrustfully.

"Me, I'm dishonest, and a dishonest person ye can trust to be dishonest." Jack said slyly.

"Ugh" Barbossa rolled his eyes.

"So, what can good ol' Jack do fer ye?" Jack asked as he walked back to stand in front of the desk.

"Answer these questions, and I'll let ye return to yer cell" Barbossa said.

"Shoot" Jack replied, hoping that he could answer them. "Not literally. What do ye want to know?"

"This was discovered on the ship ye were on" He lifted a bottle onto the desk. Jack mentally smacked himself when he saw it. He had forgot about it after he was imprisoned on Cristina's ship. It was the Black Pearl, rocking on the waves within the glass bottle. "How do ye get it out?"

"Why ask me?" Jack countered. "I have been told that any information regarding said task, is kept in this very room"

"Hmm, we shall see" Barbossa grinned.

"Is that it?" Jack asked hoping he could leave now.

"Nay. I require a way to get information out of Ms. Teach on a different matter." Barbossa said. "And, I bet ye know how to do that"

"Ha, good one. Why would ye think such a thing?" Jack asked jokingly. "I can't get that woman to even talk to me, why do ye think she would talk to you?"

"Let's just say there will be certain consequences if she doesn't" Barbossa said with a wicked tone. Oh-no. His thoughts immediately went to Cristina. Barbossa was planning to use her against Angelica. Not good.

"uh, what kind of consequences?" Jack asked cautiously.

"Jack...Jack...Ye know me Jack." Barbossa grinned wildly. "I do what's needed done, no matter what that be"

"I did know that." Jack said uncomfortably. "On to it then, what else do you want to know?"

Barbossa was prepared to answer but there was a knock on the door.  
"Aye…" Barbossa said in acknowledgement. The crewman opened the door and stepped inside.

"All ready with the cannons, sir" He said.

"Took ye long enough" Barbossa grumbled as he stood and made his way towards the door. "Follow Sparrow!"

"With pleasure _sir_" Jack said mockingly. He followed Barbossa out onto the quarterdeck. "What are ye doin?"

"Nuthin more than a routine ship sinkin" Barbossa replied smugly.

"If I may say, it seems a pity waste" Jack said knowingly. "Why not spare the crew and then dispose of the ship if ye so desire to blow it up"

"Now why would I do that pretell?" Barbossa asked suspicious of his motives.

"If ye spare them, ye can force 'em to work for ye" Jack said convincingly. "B'sides, who don't love makin other people work for 'em? eh"

"I gave 'em a chance to join me crew. They chose their own fate" Barbossa countered. "Fire!" He ordered to his crew. An explosion of cannon fire impacted the smaller ship. Jack cringed at the noise of the destruction.

A chain shot was fired at the mast, splitting it completely, causing it to crash to the deck. The cannon fire continued until there was little left a float of the smaller ship and her crew.

"Well done" Jack said, clapping his hands sarcastically.

"That'll be all, ye'll be returned to the brig now" Barbossa said motioning to one of his crewman. The man came up behind Jack, swiftly hitting him over the head with the butt of his gun, in addition to a solid punch squarely in the face. Jack groaned as he landed on the deck unconscious.

"Take 'im back to the brig" Barbossa said before he returned to his cabin.

/

Back in the brig, just after Jack was taken, Angelica was left standing speechless, unable to process his last words.

"Angelica sit down" Cristina could see the confusion on her friend's face.

"He will be back...right?" Angelica sat down slowly.

"uh...I'm sure he will be" Cristina assured her, although she didn't really know.

"I didn't say anything. He told me what I wanted to hear, and how did I answer? With not so much as a word before he was dragged away" Angelica said quietly. "What If I never see him again?"

"Don't talk like that!" Christina said. "It's Jack Sparrow we are talking about remember."

"What did he give you?" Angelica asked curiously, as if the object might mean something.

Cristina hadn't even taken the time to look at it. She opened her hand. It was Angelica's ring.

"Here, he wanted me to give it to you" She handed the ring to Angelica who took it cautiously.

"He never said that" Angelica thought back to Jack's words before he left.

"Weren't you listening?" Cristina said. "He said if he was going to die, then he would rather someone else had it."

"He gave it to you though" Angelica was confused.

"But, he loves you" Cristina said. "Just accept it already."

"Oh of course he does" Angelica said sarcastically. "If he really did, why would he lie about me breaking up with him?"

"He wasn't lying" Cristina muttered guiltily. "To him, you did break up with him, even though you really didn't"

"Whose side are you on?!" Angelica asked harshly. "You know what he meant. Dont you?!"

"Alright, I admit it." Cristina decided she might as well say it now. "Yes, made it look like Jack left you so you would be upset the next time you saw him. Yes, I gave him the ring, that you threw away, and told him that you changed your mind!"

"You did WHAT?!" Angelica was furious. "How could you?!"

"Because, when he left you the last time, you were devastated." Cristina defended. "I didn't want to see that happen again. So yes, I lied to both of you, for what I thought was your own good. But it turns out I was wrong."

"Why are you telling me this?!" Angelica said, confused and angry.

"Because you have to forgive him. It wasn't his fault" Christina replied. "I am telling you this, because I understand why you love him"

"Do explain" Angelica couldn't wait to hear this.

"Under his strong, brave and intelligent exterior, he is caring, kind, and dare I say compassionate." Cristina could see by the expression on Angelica's face that she knew what she meant. "When I told him that you called off your relationship, I did not expect the reaction I got. At first he didn't believe me. But when it started to sink in that I could have been telling the truth he was furious. He didn't know what to say or what to do. He was a complete mess"

"You couldn't have told me any of this sooner?!" Angelica was pleased to hear that Jack still cared for her, but she was still not happy. "What if I never…" She was interrupted by the sounds of cannons coming from the upper deck. It didn't last long, and soon it was silent again.

"What if…"Angelica didn't even want to think it.

"Don't say it. He will be back" Cristina tried to assure her.

They sat in silence for the next few minutes waiting for any clue as to what was happening on the decks above. Then came heavy footsteps on the stairs. Both Angelica and Cristina stood up, hoping to see Jack.

Three men came down the stairs. The one in the middle was being dragged by the other two. Angelica gasped when she saw it was Jack.

He had somewhat woken up, but not to the point that he could walk. He gazed up dizzily recognizing his surroundings as the brig.

They stopped in front of the cell where Angelica and Cristina were trying to figure out how hurt Jack was.

"Back up" One of the men growled. Both Angelica and Cristina took a step back from the door.

He opened the door and shoved Jack inside. He staggered a bit before collapsing to his knees. The door was shut behind him and the two men returned to the upper decks.

He tried to pull himself to his feet using the bars of the cell, but he didn't quite have his full strength so he just sat down instead. Angelica and Cristina quickly sat next to him.

"Are you ok? What happened?" Angelica asked, concern obvious in her voice.

"Hello darlin, what's yer name?" He asked with false delusion. He always found it amusing to poke fun at Angelica, even if it made her mad.

"You've got to be joking" Angelica wasn't sure if he was or not.

"Aye luv, I am." He chuckled. "I'm fine but ye don't want to know what happened" She sat back a moment and glared at him until she noticed blood dripping down his face.

"Of course you are, now let me see your face, you're bleeding" She cupped his face in her hands. "You had me worried. What were you thinking?"

"I was thinking that it was better me than you, so yer welcome" He said pulling her hands off him. He leaned back against the wall, letting his hat fall over his eyes.

"Jack" Angelica said softly. "Did you mean what you said earlier?"

"It depends on which part ye be referin to" He answered.

"Did you mean any of what you said to me today?" She asked again.

"Hmm, today...ah yes." He figured he knew what she was talking about. "Every word luv"

"That's good" She said as she leaned against him, resting her head on his shoulder. "It's good to have you back"

"Couldn't agree more" He said sleepily, wrapping an arm around her.


	27. Chapter 31

"So..are you going to tell me what happened?" Angelica was curious. "We heard cannon fire, I thought… I thought you...I thought they…" She mumbled hoping that he didn't hear the hint of concern in her voice that she was actually feeling.

"I told ye, I am fine. So ye don't need to be concerned." He said calmly. "As for the cannons…" He trailed off, briefly glancing at Cristina who had a look of sadness on her face about what he was about to say.

"I was not concerned!" Angelica interjected, not wanting to look weak in front of him, before he could continue. "I was only wondering what happened"

"Oh I see. Well, ye can lie to yerself if ye want, but don't think I can't tell" He said plainly. "Why did I ever think 'this' would work between us again after everythin ye did."

"What?! You're blaming me again for what Cristina did?!" Angelica had forgotten that Jack didn't know.

"How could what ye did possibly be her fault?" Jack asked glaring at Angelica.

"She lied to you Jack! Don't be an idiot!" Angelica wanted this misunderstanding to be resolved. Jack's expression changed to that of bewilderment; he didn't have a clue what she was talking about. "Oh don't look so sad! She lied to me too!"

"What is she talkin about?" Jack turned to Cristina suspiciously. She looked away.

"I made a mistake. I thought she would be better off without you" Cristina muttered. "But I was wrong! Will you two just get back together and stop fighting?"

"Not likely." Jack said calmly.

"You're not going to yell?" Cristina was prepared for another reaction similar to Angelica's, and was slightly confused by Jack calmness.

"No, I'm not upset about that...I mean yes I am...er it doesn't matter. If she can't be honest with me, or herself for that matter, then I would say 'no' to that" Jack said only glancing slightly at Angelica. Angelica folded her arms and turned away from him. Jack sighed and stood up. He took a few steps away from her and sat next to Cristina who was slightly weary of what he was doing but she was more worried about Angelica's reaction. Angelica glanced over her shoulder to see that Jack was now sitting right next to Cristina.

"Now what are you doing?" She was tired of his nonsense.

"What? As if I need to explain meself to you" He retorted. "If ye can just have a little 'make-out' session in the middle of a fight, with the enemy no less..." He put an arm around Cristina. She didn't mind since it was cold down there, but she did not want to be part of their fight. "...then I sure as hell can just sit next to her without a reason!"

"Aww, is little Jackie jealous that I kissed someone other than him?" Angelica said mockingly.

"Not in the slightest" Jack chuckled.

"What's funny?!" Angelica sneered.

"Ye think I'm the jealous one, when ye were the one who flipped out when I sat next to her" Jack said. "Ye are too predictable."

"Just shut up Jack" She growled.

"You. I'm talkin to Crissy" He returned.

"Me dad used to say, 'Jackie, ye can't make someone luv ye, so don't try.' I should have listened to him." Jack said uneasily. He looked at Angelica's tense figure. Her soft brown hair falling effortlessly over her strong shoulders. Even when she was angry, she was still the most gorgeous woman he ever knew. But, he couldn't look at her anymore. Her apparent anger towards him made him feel sick. He turned back to Cristina, giving her a weak smile. "Me dad was a wise man. One other time he told me 'Jackie, if ye focus yer life around one person, ye'll lose sight of who else is out there in the world'" Jack said changing his tone. "Er, I guess that was his way of sayin, there are always more fish in the sea" He chuckled.

"That's true. He sounds like a nice guy" Cristina said. "Jack…"

"Ye want to know what happened…" He said grimly, removing his arm from around her so he could look at her. "Are ye sure ye want to know? It may upset ye. There is no real good way to put it."

"Just say it. I need to know" Cristina said with false bravery.

"If yer sure." He gave in. "Yer crew...was uh…" He just had to say it. "They were tied to the mast of yer ship and...fired upon." He cringed at his words. "I tried to stop him. But he's not one for bein merciful. Last I saw of yer ship, it was sinkin to the crushin depths of the sea."

He relaxed when she seemed unphased. That was not what he expected.

"Are ye ok?" He asked carefully. Angelica rolled her eyes. She didn't like how well Jack and Cristina were getting along. However, she couldn't very well tell him because that would involve admitting that she did care, and at the moment she wasn't sure if she did.

"I...I...failed them..." Cristina answered quietly.

"There was nothin ye could have done" Jack said softly. "If it makes ye feel any better, it was over quickly" Cristina only nodded, there was nothing to say.

"Ye look cold. Here put this on" He took off his coat and put it around her.

"Thanks Jack" She smiled slightly before resting her head against the wall of the cell.

"Not a problem." He said warmly. "If I may, I suggest we all get some sleep, tomorrow is gunna be interestin" He leaned back and let his hat fall over his eyes. Gibbs had been napping on and off the whole day but still managed to fall quickly asleep. Cristina had fallen asleep as well. After a few minutes of silence, Angelica relaxed when she thought that everyone was now asleep. She calmed down after her argument with Jack and had only now noticed the cold. She had her leather coat, but it seemed to not be of much help. She wished she could just curl up next to Jack. He was always warm. She didn't want to wake him, because she would never live it down if she did. He appeared to be sound asleep. Unbenounced to her, Jack was in fact still awake. He couldn't help wondering what she was thinking and why she kept arguing with him. He didn't know, of course he had been more distant lately, but what did she expect.

"Jack" She whispered, wanting to make sure he was asleep. He didn't answer. He didn't know if he wanted to know what she wanted now. She moved so she was right next to him and she rested her head on his shoulder.

"Couldn't stay away I see" He smiled. She was about to sit up and push herself away from him but he wrapped an arm around her. She relaxed against him, although she now wished she had just let herself freeze to death instead. "I knew ye couldn't resist"

"Only because it's so damn cold" She retorted.

"mhmm" He smirked.

"Just go to sleep" She said quietly before she did just that.

* * *

Angelica sat up suddenly aware that she was now alone in the cell. She immediately pulled herself to her feet, looking around for any sign of the other three. She heard heavy footsteps coming down the stairs towards her.

The man stopped in front of the cell and grinned wickedly.

"Ah Mrs. Sparrow, good to see that yer awake and feeling better" he said menacingly.

"What have you done with Jack and my friends?!" She hissed glaring at him fiercely.

"Perhaps a little trip upstairs will jog yer memory" He said vaguely. He opened the door for her and motioned her come with him. She didn't move. "Get a move on. Yer ex-husband to-be will be ever so pleased to see ye" He grabbed her by the arm and gave her a shove towards the stairs.

"What are you talking about?! We weren't married!" She insisted. "What's going on here?!" She was completely confused and she didn't know whether or not she should be afraid.

"Keep movin!" he ordered. "Can't keep the Captain waitin"

"What?" She stated curiously as she walked up the stairs, the man close behind her.

He chuckled. "Smart man he is"

"Who?" She wasn't getting any answers.

"Ugh, if ye don't remember then ye'll just have to wait and see" He rolled his eyes.

The sun was bright in her eyes as she came to stand on the main deck. She looked all over for any sign of Jack, Cristina or Mr. Gibbs. When she didn't see them, she looked for this 'captain' she was supposedly being taken too. She saw the silhouette of a tallish man standing on the quarterdeck. The sun was directly behind him preventing her from getting a good look at his face.

"Come on, he hasn't got all day" He grunted from behind her. She slowly began walking up the stairs curious about this 'captain'.

"Angelica!" She recognized the man's voice immediately; it was Jack. "How kind of ye to join us"

"Jack? You have some explaining to do!" She sneered. "And what have you done with Cristina?!"

"Why Angelica, he's done nothing at all, I'm right here." Cristina stepped out from behind him and he put an arm around her waist.

"And ye look as beautiful as ever darlin" He said giving her a kiss on the cheek before returning his attention to Angelica.

"You better tell me what's going on. Right. Now." Angelica was outraged. How could he?! How could she?! She was her best friend. Or she was... Angelica didn't know, she just wanted answers.

"Oh yes of course." Barbossa said stepping forward from behind her. "Ye see that island right there?" He pointed to a small sandy island not too far away.

"Oh no. You are not leaving me on that beach!" Angelica tried to back up, but bumped into someone. She turned around to see who it was and practically jumped out of her skin. It was Blackbeard.

"Father?" She barely managed to say.

"Hello Angelica" He said gruffly. "Why didn't you save me my child?"

"I couldn't!" Tears tugged at her eyes. She back away from him carefully, only to run into Jack who put his arms around her.

"Why couldn't ye love me?" He whispered softly.

"I did...I mean do. I do love you." She replied. He didn't answer. She pulled his arms off her and stepped away from both of them only to come face to face with Cristina.

"Why didn't you trust me? I thought we were friends?" Cristina asked sadly.

"I did...I do trust you" Angelica backed away until she was against the rail of the ship.

"You can't push us away forever" Cristina said monotonously, stepping towards her.

"If ye do, ye'll be alone forever" Jack said in a similar tone.

"Ye can't run from yer past, present or future, my child" Blackbeard said as well.

"I'm not running from anything!" Angelica defended. The three stepped towards her and she edged uncomfortably towards the stairs.

"Is that so?" Jack asked, still walking towards her.

"I'm not running…" Angelica stepped slowly down the stairs.

"Don't lie to yourself" Cristina said harshly.

"I'm not!" Angelica didn't understand what was going on. What was wrong with them?

"It seems to me that ye are" Blackbeard said.

"What am I running from?!" She asked sharply.

"From yer feelins" Jack replied.

"From people who care" Cristina said.

"From who ye are" Blackbeard said.

She reached the bottom of the stairs, the other three continued to follow her.

"I can't take this anymore" Angelica climbed onto the rail of the ship and held onto nearby rigging. She looked down at her hand. She didn't realize until now that she had a pistol.

"You are a disappointment." Blackbeard growled.

"We could've had a future together darlin" Jack sighed.

"Who's it going be?" Cristina asked.

"What do you want from me?!" She yelled frantically.

"They want ye to make a decision" Barbossa stated from his position at the top of the stairs. "Who's it gunna be?"

Angelica eyed the menacing gun in her hand.

"I can't kill any of you" Angelica mumbled.

"Ye have to choose luv" Jack said calmly.

"No" She shook her head violently. "Fine. Myself then" She held the pistol up to her chin.

Jack pulled out his pistol as well and held it under his own chin. Cristina pulled out her sword and held it to her own throat.

"If ye kill yerself, ye kill me as well" Jack said plainly.

"If you shoot yourself, then I am as good as dead" Cristina said with little emotion.

"I be already dead, so if ye shoot yerself there, I will cease to exist." Blackbeard said.

"Thats not fair!" She didn't know what to do. "Why would you all die too?"

"B'cause I love you, and I can't live without ye" Jack said.

"Because you're my friend" Cristina said.

"Cause, ye still feel guilty" Blackbeard stated.

She cocked the gun in her hand. A gust of wind blew over the ship, crashing into Blackbeard. In an instant, he was reduced to nothing but bones before her eyes, collapsing lifelessly to the deck.

"Father!" She yelled. Not more than a second later, she heard a thud on the deck. There Cristina lay, blood pooling around her.

"Cristina!" Angelica yelled through painful tears. How she wanted to go down to her, but she couldn't move. She looked to Jack and realized that he was the only one left. He was now kneeling between the remains of Blackbeard and the corpse of Cristina, holding the gun firmly beneath his chin. She looked in to his hollow eyes, empty of all emotion.

"Don't you dare!" She yelled at him.

"Sorry luv" With that he pulled the trigger and fell limply to the deck, the pistol falling out of his hand and landing besides him.

"No!" She was now full on crying. She so desperately wanted to turn away, but something out of her control would not let her move. The sky blackened, and the ship pitched violently against the harsh seas. She lost her balance and fell to the deck, breaking her fall with her hands. She gasped for breath.

"What happened to daddy?" A small high pitched voice asked from right in front of her. She looked up slowly, tears still pouring down her face, to see a young girl with dark brown curly hair and deep brown eyes.

"Who..who are you?" She thought the young girl looked familiar, but was certain she had never seen her before.

"Angela...Angela Sparrow, I was named after my parents" The girl replied calmly. "Why did you kill my parents?"

"Your parents were...Jack and...Cristina?" Angelica didn't know if she could accept that.

"No silly. My parents were Mr. and Mrs. Sparrow" Angela replied. "That would be Jack and Angelica as you would have known them."

"What?" She was confused again. "I don't have any children"

"Kind words to hear from one's own mother" Angela responded harshly.

"It's a sad thing when a mother doesn't recognize her own child" Barbossa said wickedly from where he stood.

"What?" Angelica didn't know how to answer that.

"No wonder daddy left you." Angela said coldly. "I see now that you pushed him away until he was so far that he couldn't take it"

"Jack? I loved him!" Angelica demanded. She couldn't believe she was arguing with a child about her own feelings.

"Ha. Good way of showing it." Angela said. "Daddy never had as many fights with Cristina"

A look of both anger and shock spread over Angelica's face.

"Oh yeah, didn't I mention that after you pushed him over the edge, he left you for her" Angela said smugly. "He seemed much happier, but he was never the same without you"

Angelica didn't even have a response. She was so caught up in everything she had heard and witnessed that she wasn't sure how much more she could take.

Angela sighed. "If only you would have loved him like he loved you"

"Well it's too late for that now isn't it!" Angelica finally said angrily glaring at Angela who seemed unphased.

"No, silly." Angela said as she lifted the pistol that Angelica had dropped upon impact with the deck. "Say goodnight!" Angela giggled.

"What?! Put that down!" Angelica yelled at Angela who only shook her head smiling in response.

"Why should I? It's what you did to daddy" Angela said plainly.

"He did that himself" Angelica hissed.

"Thats nice, blame him for loving you...how sweet" Angela said. "Well, if he did that himself, then so did you" She pulled the trigger. The last thing Angelica saw was Angela's silhouette against the black sky, and the last thing she heard was Barbossa laughing maniacally from the top of the stairs.

Her eyes snapped open and she sat straight up, gasping for breath. Jack just looked at her. She had been lying with her head on his lap. He had woken up a few minutes before from a dream of his own. He could imagine that his was not as bad as her's based on how many times she rolled over and the quiet words she had said as if she was talking to someone.

"Are ye alright?" He asked softly putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Jack?! You're alive!" She threw her arms around him forcefully. She hugged him tightly.

"Aye, I'm here" He stroked her long hair and pulled her closer to him.

"I love you" She said not wanting to let him go.

"It's alright, yer fine now. It was just a dream" He said softly. She pulled away from him. and looked away.

"What? What is it?" He asked. "Do ye want to talk about it?"

"No. It...it doesn't matter" She said shakily.

"Are ye sure?" He asked. "Ye can't keep everythin bottled up inside, ye can't live yer life without help from anyone" She thought about it. He was right, of course.

"You...left me...for…" She trailed off.

"Who? Cristina?" He couldn't help but smile at that. "Don't ye know by now that I wouldn't leave ye for anythin or anyone?"

"I don't know...do I?" She wasn't sure anymore.

"How can ye say that?" He asked softly. "Of course I wouldn't. There are times, more often than I'm given credit for, that I do in fact mean what I say"

She sighed. He put a hand softly on her shoulder.

"Ye have to realize sooner or later that I would die without ye" He said. "Ye have trust me and stop pushin everyone, not just me, away, or ye will end up alone."

"Thats what they told me too." She mumbled.

"Who did?" He willed her to tell him.

"You did." She said quietly. "You said you would die without me, just before you shot yourself."

"Ye know me pretty well" He chuckled, but frowned when he realized that she was now sobbing with her face buried in her hands. He turned her around to face him and pulled her into an embrace.

"It's ok...shh…" He whispered. "It'll all be ok" He pulled her off him and wiped the tears off her face.

"Not just you but...Cristina...and my father...as well" She whimpered.

"Ahh" He nodded. "So yer feelin guilty for yer father's death, but why Cristina and I? I don't get it"

"It's like you said." She muttered. "She told me that I had been pushing people away, meaning you and Cristina, and I would, like you said too, end up alone."

"That's not possible. Ye couldn't be alone if ye tried" He smirked. "Who, besides me, told ye that?"

"Her name was Angela." She said trying to recall the rest of her dream.

"Angela...Angela...nope, doesn't ring a bell." Jack said thoughtfully. "Who was she? Some other woman you were jealous of?"

"No. She was...our...daughter" She barely managed to say.

"Hold on a minute, could ye repeat that, I don't think I heard ye correctly." He said nervously.

"She told me her name was Angela Sparrow, and her parents were Mr. and Mrs. Sparrow. In other words, us" She stated.

"Ah, thats what I thought ye said" He said quietly. "I'll bet she looked just liked you"

"I guess, but she had your eyes" She said.

"Well then she must have had your attitude" Jack decided.

"It doesn't matter what she was like. She doesn't exist." She stated plainly. "We wouldn't be good parents anyways"

"Coming from what experience?" He raised an eyebrow at her. "Ye looked so happy that day ye had to watch Turner's boy, Alex."

"Jack" She said as she leaned against him and he put an arm around her.

"mhmm" he answered.

"I'm sorry." She said quietly.

"For what?" He turned to look at her.

"For everything" She said.

"Ye are already forgiven" He replied softly. "If ye still want, I have no problem resuming our previous relationship."

"Oh Jack. Do you really think it could ever work out between us?" She asked.

"Yes I do." He said with all seriousness. "Have I mentioned that I love you?"

"Yes you have" She smiled.

"I'm glad that's settled." He grinned. "What else did Angela tell ye?" He was curious to know what Angelica had imagined.

"She was sweet, she said she was named after us." She said softly. "She was had your eyes and your smile. And she had my messy hair"

"She sounds perfect" He smiled deviously.

"We have to get out of here alive before we even think about that." She said noticing that look in his eye.

"Technically speaking we can imagine as much as we want. But yer right, we have to get out of here." He replied. "Fortunately for us, there is a certain someone who will be in the neighborhood that will be able to help us."


	28. Chapter 32

"What is your brilliant plan this time?" Angelica asked skeptically.

"I'll tell ye another time." Jack said, quickly standing up. "Someone's coming"

Hefty footsteps came towards them, stopping just in front of their cell.

It was the same man as before, except now he wore an eye patch.

"You. Get up!" He ordered Angelica. "No way to get out of it this time. The captain wishes to speak with you" Angelica got up, but Jack stepped in front of her. He quickly looked the man up and down and grinned; the poor guy didn't even have a gun.

"I see the kind captain taught ye a lesson, what's your name?." Jack grinned.

"Aaron" He said.

"First rule then Aaron, no no wait, second rule, uh maybe actually third rule, never listen to the prisoners" Jack nudged Gibbs with his foot as he stepped closer to the cell door, waking him up. Noticing what she figured he had done on purpose, Angelica nudged Cristina, waking her up as well.

"What are the first and second rules then?" Aaron asked.

"Secondly, don't fight anyone ye can't beat" Jack grinned. He had an idea.

"Aaron said get up damn it" Jack commanded. Both Gibbs and Cristina slowly stood up.

"May I ask what for cap't" Gibbs asked sleepily. Jack spun around to face him.

"The man said to" Jack said with surprising enthusiasm. "Gibbs and Crissy back up"

Gibbs could tell that Jack had an idea, it wasn't often that Jack took orders from others that seriously. He nodded and stepped back. Jack grabbed Angelica's arm.

"Ye came for her right?" Jack said pulling her roughly forwards. "Come on then, come get her"

"What?!" She hissed, trying to get out of his grasp. "Let go of me!"

"No. The _captain_ wants to speak with ye" Jack said harshly.

"She's a feisty one" Aaron grinned deviously.

"You have no idea" Jack smirked at Angelica who scowled at him. "Don't just stand there! Open the door!"

Aaron unlocked the door. Hastily, Jack let go of Angelica, pulled open the door and nodded to him. Angelica stepped back.

"Just go get her, she's weaker than she looks!" Jack said rolling his eyes. He's an idiot, it shouldn't take him that long, he thought. Aaron eyed Angelica menacingly and took one step into the cell only to have Jack slam the door on his face. "Idiot" Jack muttered. Aaron crumbled over holding his head in his hands. Jack knelt down right next to him. "The first rule, ye slimy git, is to keep yer hands off my fiancee!" Jack growled lowly so only he and Aaron could hear, before swiftly punching him in the gut and then in the face, knocking him unconscious.

Angelica gasped, and glared at Jack who only grinned. He quickly searched the guy for anything of value, as well as the keys.

"Well done sir" Gibbs said happily.

"Some warning would have been nice Jack" Angelica seethed. "Did you really need to do that?"

"One, I saw an opportunity and I took it. Fortunately for you, or ye would have been taken to Barbossa. Ah there ye are" He held up the keys before standing up to face her. "Secondly, if I had told ye, yer performance would have been less than genuine, luv, and thirdly, yes, it was completely necessary"

"Performance?!" She growled as he stepped past her. "What were you thinking?!"

"Ye didn't really think I would let him take you, did ye?" He said turning back to face her. "So be grateful that I didn't, and calm down" She only scowled at him menacingly.

"It had to look real, and thanks to ye, it did." He said, slightly distracted by thoughts of what he was going to do next. "Gibbs, tie him up over there. Angelica yer comin with me" Gibbs nodded before he dragged Aaron into the cell next to theirs and tied him up with some rope he found lying around.

Jack turned his attention to Cristina who was standing behind Angelica. "Sorry" He said before quickly spinning on his heels and exiting the cell. Angelica followed him and gave him a confused look, but before she could question him, he quickly pulled the cell doors closed and locked Cristina inside behind them.

"Jack what are you doing?" Angelica asked uneasily.

"She's staying here" He said before turning to walk away.

"What?!" Cristina was suddenly furious, and Jack was glad she was behind bars at the moment. "You can't leave me here!"

"Ye heard me, it is best that ye stay here" He said vaguely. "Whatever Barbossa has in his mind...no, yer not coming" He thought back to Barbossa's earlier threat to get information out of Angelica. It was best that Angelica and Cristina be kept separated as much as possible, he thought.

"What the hell Jack?!" Angelica yelled after him.

"Shut it!" He said harshly, not enjoying the situation. "Gibbs, watch her! No one comes down here, and no one leaves! Got it?!" Jack started walking away but stopped when he didn't get a response. He spun around to see Gibbs standing there with a confused look.

"Where do you think you're going?" Christina asked sharply. Jack grudgingly stepped right up to the cell door. He was close enough to Cristina that even in the darkness she could see the anger in his eyes.

"Because of a certain bloody someone, me ship is in the hands of that bloody one legged, yellow bellied, lily livered, deck-ape!" He growled. She stepped back from the door, realizing that he was blaming her. He was right though, it was her fault. "And I am going to get it back. Given the stakes, Angelica and I will be going. Gibbs is that clear?!" He swiftly spun around.

"Uh...sir are you sure?" Gibbs did not usually question his judgment, but in this case, he wasn't sure if this was the best idea.

"Jack you can't leave them here!" Angelica protested but Jack ignored her.

"I said is that clear? Answer man!" Jack said more forcefully.

"Aye sir" Gibbs quickly responded. There was little worse to him than angering Jack, except for maybe angering Angelica.

"Hold these!" Jack tossed the keys to Gibbs, who caught them uneasily. "If ye let her out before I get back...so help me...ye will be swabbin the deck for the rest of yer miserable mutton chopped life!"

"And what will you do if you get your ship? We will still be trapped here on this ship" Cristina said. "You can't leave us here!"

"I have no intention of doing so." He said plainly. "I need ye to be out of the way, but I will be back."

"What's your plan then?" She asked skeptically.

"It's far too complicated, however, if all goes as I believe it will, then, my dear, we will be off this vessel free and clear" He said. "If not, what I do every time something goes wrong...improvise." He smirked before he turned and walked away.

He slowly crept up the stairs listening to the sounds of the crew running around. Angelica followed closely behind him. She was not happy with his decision but she knew better than to argue with him right now, he seemed too distracted. They made their way to the upper decks, weaving around barrels and crates to avoid being seen. They stopped when he heard a cannon fire in the distance. It was too quiet to have been fired from this ship, and since nothing impacted the ship, he decided that it was probably a warning shot from an approaching vessel. If it was who he expected, he had to get his ship-in-the-bottle back quickly. They approached the upper deck where they could only hear Barbossa yelling at his crew. That slimy bilge rat must be on the quarterdeck, he thought. With the crew in so much disarray, they should be able to slip past him. They edged their way silently up the stairs and onto the main deck. They stepped in time with a couple of crewmen carrying barrels of gunpowder. Jack caught a glimpse of Barbossa up at the helm before they slipped under the balcony of the quarterdeck.

"Don't give me that master Davis! I want to know who they are!" Jack jumped at the sound of Barbossa's voice above him. He knew that there was one deck between him and Barbossa so they should have a good chance at getting by unnoticed.

"Aye sir, but they're not flyin any colors!" Crewman Davis responded. Jack didn't have time to waste, and he certainly didn't want to wait around for Barbossa to find them.

"Cut the jibber jabber! Got to do everythin meself then!" Barbossa bellowed, interrupting Jack's thoughts. "Get out of the way!"

"Now what Jack?!" Angelica whispered harshly.

"Come on!" He responded in a similar tone. She followed him slowly up the stairs. Luckily, there was still no one on the deck directly above them, and Barbossa was still on the uppermost deck at the helm.

"Do you know who shot at us?" Angelica asked quietly from behind him. He ignored her and quickly slipped open the door to the main captain's cabin. "Answer me will you!" She demanded as she followed him into the room. He ignored her again as he made his way further into the room. He was not in the mood for talking right now, he only wanted to find his ship and the information on how to release it. As soon as he made sure the room was empty, he sat down behind the desk and began pawing through any papers or maps that were within his reach. He went through paper after paper, nothing even close to what he wanted. He pulled another pile of papers in front of him, although he accidentally knocked something on the floor. He looked up at Angelica who was paying him no attention before quickly leaning over to see what it was that he dropped. He felt around under the desk with his hand until he felt something softish but sturdy at the same time. He sat up and brought it into the light. Some of the color left his face as he saw what it was. How did that bastard get this! It was thrown over a cliff into a river to the ocean, how the hell did this get here?! He was so confused and slightly angered at the discovery of his voodoo doll. One of the last things he wanted was for Angelica to have it so he shoved it into his pocket and continued nonchalantly going through papers.

Angelica went over to one of the side tables and too went through papers. She sighed at how familiar this place was to her. She remembered only a short time ago when she was first mate aboard this ship with her father. She wished she could have known him longer, and maybe if she had been a better daughter she could have saved him. She still hated herself for not being able to help him. Everything she had ever learned in the convent all related to the belief that every soul could be saved. She wanted so much to believe that, but of course, Jack in all his infinite wisdom, had taken that idea and tore it apart. She hated him for that, and for killing her father, but she couldn't really hate him. After all, he did save her several times. Paper after paper, she didn't find anything even remotely related to the bottled ships. She picked up a small folded piece of paper. It was yellowing with age and covered in wrinkles from being folded so many times. She glanced over at Jack who was now looking in the drawers of the large desk. She turned her attention back to the small item in her hands. She unfolded it carefully; it only had a few lines of writing that were faded due to age. She was trying to read what it said when Jack interrupted her thoughts. "Why must blood always be bloody involved." He growled under his breath. "I swear it's like every curse, someone's got to cut open their hand or be sacrificed or something, I mean really, couldn't whoever came up with this stuff have been a bit more creative?!"

"What are you looking at?" She went over to stand behind him, peering over his shoulder so she could read it too. "Blood of the conjurer must be dropped into the bottle, then it is to be held under water in the open sea"

"Good thing yer here, eh" Jack said before getting up to look for his ship now that he could get it out.

"Of course, it's always me" She sighed before looking back at the small paper she held in her hands. "Only the cunning daughter of the devil or the sharp-witted son of the keeper may find, the treasure to rule the wind and tide"

Jack stopped what he was doing and spun around. "What did you say?"

"nothing" Without knowing how powerful the treasure actually was, and what inevitable consequences come with it, she thought it best not to let him know about any treasure that could end up taking him from her.

"Ugh women, always so secretive" He rolled his eyes and went back to looking.

"What exactly is that supposed to mean?"

"oh nothing" He said mockingly. "We just need to...ah ha...nevermind" Right there in the cabinet next to the desk, the Black Pearl sat in it's bottle. Jack quickly snatched it off the shelf.

"Nevermind what?" A deeper voice said from behind them. They both jumped and turned around only to recognize him immediately.

"Impeccable timing Will, pleasure to see ye again." Jack said cheerfully.

"I wish I could say the same" Will seemed less than pleased. "You try being less than annoyed after ferrying twenty innocent souls to the netherworld"

"Ah sorry 'bout that mate, unfortunate circumstances arose having nothing whatsoever to do with me" Jack said. "Anyways, how'd ye get in here without alarmin the crew or the captain?"

"Being immortal does have it's perks, I can't be killed and I can walk through the hull of ships. I thought you would have known that seeing as Davy Jones did it many times." Will explained. "I always end up hearing the stories of how those poor souls died and some of them mentioned that four of you were taken captive"

"So that's why you're here" Angelica said stepping out from behind Jack.

"Nice to see you again miss Angelica" Will said.

"Angelica, I must speak to Will, go see if ye can find anything useful" Jack said. She rolled her eyes and went to look over anything Jack may have missed.

"Now what do you want?" Will asked.

"Ye remember Barbossa do you not?" Jack said vaguely. Will nodded. "Course ye do. Well, in another series of unfortunate events, he has now come to be captain of this ship"

"So what? You don't appear to be prisoners" Will stated. "Just tell me what is wrong and what you need help with?"

"We are prisoners, although we have recently escaped...that's beside the point" Jack said irritatedly. "Barbossa needs Angelica for something, and I'd wager he is willing to hurt and or kill anyone to get what he wants."

"What do you want me to do about it?" Will wasn't sure if he wanted to get mixed up in another one of Jack's 'adventures'.

"Her lifelong friend is also aboard. I would prefer not to see her tortured in order to get information or what ever out of Angelica. I need you to take them somewhere safe. I don't care where, anywhere, just somewhere he can't get to them"

"What about you, do you not also want off this ship?" Will was slightly concerned where Jack was going with this.

"I would like to, however something tells me that it won't be possible" Jack said grimly. "I don't care what you do with Angelica, lock her in your brig if ye have to but by no means are ye to let her come after me"

"Jack, you know I can't make her…" Will started to say.

"Damnit Will! At least try" Jack said forcefully. "You're immortal, what can she do to you?"

"Ok Jack, but she won't like it" Will said.

"I don't care if she bloody likes it!" Jack snapped, causing Angelica to look up from the papers she was reading. "She is going to get herself killed!"

"Alright, alright. I said I would do it" Will said calmly.

"Just give her this if she gives you trouble" Jack pulled out the doll from his pocket.

"Why would she want this?" Will was confused.

"Nevermind, don't give it to her, she could hurt me. Just hold on to it, and try not to let it get crushed, burned, suffocated, drowned, or any other form of threat to life. I don't fancy being killed by a doll"

"Alright" Will took it and put it in his pocket.

"Ye said ye needed to talk to the captain, well I think I hear him and his peg leg comin this way" Jack said before he turned back to Angelica. "Come on" Jack crouched down by the cabinet next to the door so when Barbossa entered the first thing he would see is Will and not them. Angelica knelt down beside him.

"Remember our deal" Jack said. Angelica wondered what he meant but didn't have time to ask him. Will nodded as he sat down in the chair behind the desk and put his feet up just as the door swung open.

"Ah Captain Barbossa, long time no see" Will said smugly.


	29. Chapter 33

**A/N ****Thank you to every reader for making it this far into the story. :) And a special thanks to guest reviewer AngelicaTeach who apparently was looking forwards to this chapter. Your continued support is appreciated, and I love reading your reviews :)**

"Master Turner, to what to do I owe the pleasure of your company" Barbossa said with surprising graciousness.

"Nice ship. How did you manage to acquire it, I wonder." Will said calmly. Barbossa made his way over to the desk, towering over Will.

"Nuthin unreasonable, I assure you" He scoffed. Jack glanced at Angelica who looked like she could have killed anyone in that instant. He put a hand on her shoulder and shook his head silently. She seemed to relax slightly under his touch, but she was far from calm. "How be Mrs Turner?"

"Funny you should ask, let's see, uh oh yeah I haven't seen her in a long time" Will growled taking his feet off the desk and standing up. Barbossa glowered at him before he pulled up a chair and sat down casually. Will returned to sitting although he was now distracted with memories of Elizabeth. Will continued on their conversation and watched anxiously as Jack and Angelica stood up and quietly crept out of the door from behind Barbossa. Angelica was eager to get out of there, but Jack seemed more hesitant and curious. The cool sea air hit them hard as they stepped outside, it was still fairly early in the day.

"I think that went well" Jack grinned.

"I should have killed that bastard!" She was not amused.

"It was not the opportune moment, b'sides, there is more I need to know" He said in all seriousness. "Go take these back to Gibbs...and get to Will's ship" He handed her the bottle and instructions.

"What?! Where do you think you're going?!"

"I'm going back in there to...uh...make sure everything goes according to plan" He replied, although he knew she would argue it. She always did. Everytime he told her to do something while he was doing something else, there was always an argument about it. Ever since he first met her all those many years ago. It was like she was allergic to being safe; apparently since she met him, that would always be the case. When she decided to leave with him that night, he had told her it would be dangerous, but she argued with him even then when she barely knew him.

She was about to speak but he spoke first. "No. Don't even think it. Go back to the brig b'fore I drag ye there meself" He said harshly.

Why did he always do that? Hadn't he learned by now that she wasn't fragile or weak; she could take care of herself. She didn't need to be treated like a child, or looked after like a sick puppy. She was willing to do anything he did. What kind of an option was that anyways, running away to another ship or spying on the enemy; what a choice.

"No Jack." She shoved his ship back into his hands. "Why do you always do that?!"

"Do what?" He asked slightly taken aback, but not terribly surprised by her reaction. "Just once, I know it's difficult for you, please stay here, or go back to the brig, either or. And try not to do anything dangerous"

"No!" She has had enough of this. "Stop treating me like a child, listening in on a conversation is hardly dangerous"

"Luv, if I was treating ye like a child, neither of us would be here! I would have deemed it far too dangerous" He growled. "However, since you are not in fact a child, we are here and I have things to do. And it just so happens that getting you, and yer bloody friend Cristina off this ship is of utmost importance at the moment." That ought to shut her up; hopefully. It always took something that could mean anything about his feelings to silence her. It was like if it didn't have to do with her, it didn't matter.

He was right, she didn't have an answer, or a clever remark; she just looked at him.

He heard Barbossa laugh wickedly from inside the cabin, and realized he still wanted to hear what they were saying. He didn't have anymore time to argue so reluctantly he decided to give in. He didn't want to but he didn't have time to waste. "Now then, since we wasted so much time, go on then" She grinned at her victory, but frowned when he turned to walk away from her.

"Now where are you going?!" She demanded.

"What is it with you?! Why must you always know where I'm going and what I'm doing?!" He snapped. "Since yer so keen on hearin what they be sayin in there, go ahead, see if I bloody care, but someone has to get Crissy. She's yer friend, but once again here I am going to help her, not you!" She didn't answer him. Why was he always so difficult to deal with?

"Don't just stand there and stare at me!" He said. "You wanted to do somethin, now off ye go!" He waved his hands at her before he scurried down the stairs to the main deck and then further down below.

She rolled her eyes and crept cautiously back into the cabin. She managed to almost crawl back to her earlier position next to the cabinet behind the door.

"Do ye know how hard it is to find a good crew?" Barbossa sighed. Will had been listening but almost jumped when he saw Angelica sneak back into the room.

"uh, I havn't really had that problem" Will said distractedly trying not to look directly at her.

"Course ye haven't" Barbossa said gruffly. "Now tell me, what is it that ye want?"

"I have a need to find a captain and the remnants of a crew of a ship recently sunk not too far from here" Will said plainly. "You wouldn't know anything about that would you?"

"Now that you mention it, we did acquire a few prisoners. What be they to you?"Barbossa questioned.

"They have information I require" Will lied. "What reason did you have for keeping them alive?"

"Some of them have information that I require" Barbossa said gruffly.

"Do you know any of them?" Will questioned.

"Aye, all but one. Do you?"

"Remember I talk to the dead. I heard that our mutual friend Jack Sparrow was taken aboard, along with two women, and his first mate Mr. Gibbs" Will declared. Angelica continued to listen although she wasn't sure what Will and Jack had planned.

"So that's the way of it then. Sparrow got ye to come to save his hide" Barbossa said.

"No, he did no such thing. I'm not here for him, because of him, or anything. I am not here to help him in any way" Will explained.

"Then who is it that ye want?"

"Is it not obvious that if I'm not here for Jack, then it must be for the persons he was with" Will said. "Obviously Jack is the more valuable prisoner to you, so what I suggest is you release the two women, and mr. Gibbs. And you can keep Jack" Angelica gaped at him, and he tried to avoid looking at her. He knew what he was doing, and he knew what Jack wanted. Angelica's apparent fury and wrath would be unavoidable, so he might as well make the most of his plan and his lies.

"I'm disinclined to agree to those terms" Barbossa said.

"Why? It sounds perfect to me. Send the innocent's over to my ship and that lying bastard can remain here and be forced to do whatever you wish. Or you could just leave him to die on an island somewhere remote where no one will find him." Will smiled.

"That be a good idea. It is always a wonderful sight to see that man standin on some beach, with naught but a name, and the look on his face as I sail away with my ship" Barbossa chuckled. "But remind me again why I must be listenin to ye"

"Because you only have so much ammunition, and my crew and I can't die" Will said seriously.

"Aye, that be true. What be in it for me if I turn them over to ye?" Barbossa asked slyly.

"You can keep Jack. Pirate Lord of of the Caribbean. Also, you said you required information out of them, then by all means, interrogate them before they are released to my custody." Will compromised.

"Agreed, they be of no value except for their knowledge." Barbossa said. "Was there any prisoner in particular that ye were lookin fer?"

"I believe one of them was Angelica Teach" Will shrugged.

Angelica gaped at him. What the hell. Why couldn't he have just pretended like he didn't know her?. "What business does the immortal Captain Turner need with that filthy wench?" Barbossa asked clearly intrigued that he knew her.

"Nothing at all, she was just mentioned by the crew of the ship you sunk" Will lied.

"Was she now?" Barbossa questioned. "What do ye know 'bout her?"

"Not much. The crew only mentioned her as being argumentative, and difficult" Will said, trying to avoid Angelica's glare. Her expression told him that she was not pleased. "So did you have a reason for letting her and the other one live? Or do you just enjoy capturing innocent young women?"

"Ye obviously don't know her very well mate" Barbossa said. "She is not an innocent young woman, but it matters not. I need her to divulge some information before she is released"

"Ah, going after some treasure? Do you even know the rules, rituals, or even how to get there? You don't want it to be isla de muerta all over again" Will chuckled.

"Aye, that be why ye can't take her til she spills what she knows." Barbossa stated.

"Have you tried talking to her? It shouldn't be that hard, but if she is as difficult, and violent as they say, then other measures may need to be taken to get her to talk." Will said.

"It's a matter of persuasion Will. Ye best learn that" Barbossa peered at the desk as if he were looking for something.

"What kind of 'persuasion' do you have in mind?" Will asked anxiously, glancing slightly at Angelica who appeared to be also anxiously awaiting Barbossa's response.

"Do ye think it possible for that scoundrel, Jack, to care for anyone but himself?" Barbossa asked changing the subject and now intently watching Will's reaction. "Perhaps Angelica?"

"Uh.. we are talking about Jack. Jack Sparrow. Are you kidding me? He couldn't keep a woman by him if he tried. Let alone Angelica. That is crazy" Will tried to sound convincing. "From what I have heard, Jack wouldn't even have a chance to mess up a relationship with her, because she would have left him too quickly" Angelica scowled at him, not aware that he was lying on her behalf.

"Ye heard that did ye?" Barbossa said contemplating his response.

"Yes. I have also heard that, she is not the easiest to get along with. Very violent. And we both know how much Jack always runs from a fight." Will continued. "I could never imagine them together. Not today, not tomorrow, not in a year. No, she would drive him insane, and if she didn't leave him, he would wish she had and end up leaving her. It would not be a happy relationship to say the least" If she was not hiding, Angelica would probably have been yelling. She had to remind herself that she needed to hear what they had to say about any future plans. This was not the time to get upset, she still needed to get more information.

"Funny ye say that" Barbossa said thoughtfully. "B'cause I captured them in each other's company. Actually, they was arguin like an old married couple completely oblivious to what was goin on"

"That's odd. That doesn't sound like Jack" Will said nervously.  
"Aye, that's what I thought as well" Barbossa said. "Now Sparrow may not be capable of lovin anyone but himself, but I doubt the same can be said for Ms Teach. Perhaps she might be disinclined to see him for the pathetic, spineless, miscreant he is"

"So let me get this" Will sat up thinking he figured it out. "You mean to torture Jack in front of Angelica, in order to get information out of her"

"Precisely" Barbossa grinned wickedly. Angelica thought about where Jack was at that moment. He was probably in the brig, or getting Cristina off the ship.

"Jack is strong, what makes you sure he can't handle your torture?" Will raised an eyebrow.

"It's not Jack who is really being tortured now is it. The question is how long will it take to break Angelica." Barbossa said. "There be a doll. Said to cause excruciating pain, there was one of Jack somewhere on this confounded desk" Will's hand immediately went to his pocket where he put the doll. Will glanced cautiously at Angelica who was watching him cautiously.

"Ye wouldn't happen to have seen it, would ye Will?" Barbossa eyed him skeptically. Will quickly shook his head no.

"Why am I disinclined to believe ye?" Barbossa said gruffly. "Let's say you return my leverage, or no deal"

"If it gets them off this ship, then agreed" Will said.

"Aye, now if ye want them off my ship, ye'll do good to hand over the doll" Barbossa said with a wicked tone.

"You mean this?" Will pulled out the doll. Angelica face palmed herself. Barbossa stood up and pulled out his pistol from his belt.

"Hand it over" Barbossa threatened.

"You have what? One shot and I can't die" Will said complacently. "But I would rather watch Jack suffer if only to save the lives of two others. Here" He grudgingly handed over the doll. Angelica glared at him menacingly.

"Good choice" Barbossa took it sitting down again. "Now let's give them a taste of persuasion, shall we" He held a knife to the dolls face.

"Are you sure this is the best idea?" Will said, but it was too late to stop him, Barbossa had slashed the side of the dolls face.

Angelica gasped and could only imagine Jack being completely caught off guard.

* * *

Only a few minutes before…

Jack trudged his way slowly back down to the brig. "Gibbs, get up we're gettin off this bloody...what are ye doin?" Gibbs, Cristina and Aaron were all sitting around a lantern, apparently having a conversation. They all looked at Jack as he stepped closer to them.

"Are we leavin, sir?" Gibbs asked enthusiastically.

"Get up. You and you" He pointed to Gibbs and Cristina. "What are you doin?" He looked at Aaron.

"Nothing much captain sir" Aaron replied calmly.

"Bloody hell. Mr Gibbs!" Jack growled. "Tell me you did not enlist this man into my crew!"

"He's actually quite a nice person" Cristina spoke up, smiling.

"Well, cap't, we will need a crew for the Pearl, and he volunteered" Gibbs shrugged.

"It would be better than being here. Please captain Sparrow, don't leave me here" Aaron pleaded. Jack looked from Gibbs, who shrugged, to Cristina who was smiling and obviously in agreement. He rolled his eyes.

"Fine, ye can come, but believe you me, we will be havin a conversation when we get off this bloody ship" Jack said.

"So, what is your plan cap't?" Gibbs asked changing the subject.

"We are goin to the Dutchman. Will has a greed to help us." Jack explained. "Take this. Don't ye dare lose it, or else." Jack handed him the Pearl in a bottle, and the page of instructions he had with it.

"Aye sir. Is that all? It sounds simple enough." Gibbs seemed unsure about this. Usually Jack's plans were complicated.

"Aye, ye three will get to the Dutchman, while I go back for Angelica" Jack said.

"By the Dutchman, do you mean the Flying Dutchman?" Aaron piped up.

"Aye, the Flying Dutchman captained by William Turner" Gibbs said.

"Gibbs, there is a chance however, that I will not be accompanying you aboard the Dutchman." Jack said seriously. "I have asked this of Will, but he is not the most reliable. Do not, I repeat, you must not, in any circumstance let Angelica, or for that matter, anyone, try to come after me."

"That's a hard thing to ask Jack." Gibbs replied. "You know better than I that Angelica won't like th…"

"I do not care if she bloody likes it! Alright?!" Jack snapped for the second time on the same subject. Why couldn't these people just listen and accept it, he thought. Cristina jumped at how angry he sounded. "Keep to the code! And keep her to the code! If ye decide they be more like guidelines, so be it. But for her they need to be non-negotiable rules!"

"What's got you in this mood Jack?" Gibbs was slightly concerned since Jack almost never talked like this. Jack took a deep breath.

"Just say ok." He said is a calmer voice. "That goes for you too Cristina. She's yer friend she may listen to ye"

"Alright Jack" Cristina agreed.

"Aye sir" Gibbs responded.

"Good" Jack said with sudden cheerfulness. "We all know the plan, lets get out of here" He turned and started walking back up the stair. Cristina looked to Gibbs, who shrugged, before following Jack up the stairs. Gibbs and Aaron followed closely behind her. As soon as they caught up to him, he was stopped, clutching the side of his face. He felt his warm blood dripping through his fingers and down his cheek. He lowered his arm and stared at the deep red blood that covered his hand.

"Jack, are you okay?" Christina asked as she stepped right next to him.

"You have to get out of here now." He said softly, still enticed by the sight of his own blood.

"But Jack, you're bleeding" She said. He slowly turned to face her. His face stung but he had to focus.

"Aye, but it can be dealt with later, come on!" He suddenly grabbed her arm and pulled her further up the stairs and onto the main deck.

The Dutchman was now parallel to them on the port side. The green sails blew in the wind, and Jack could see the crew running about under the orders of Will's father, Bootstrap.

"Go now!" Jack ordered. He helped Cristina up onto the rail.

"What about you and Angelica?" She asked.

"Nevermind us! We will be fine! Now just go!" He said. He could tell she didn't want to jump. "Take a deep breath!" He pushed her forwards off the rail before she had a chance to think about what he had just said. She landed with a splash into the water below.

"Aaron, yer next!" He ordered. Without a second thought Aaron climbed onto the rail and dove off into the water. He swam hastily to catch up with Cristina who was swimming over to the Dutchman.

"Gibbs, if we don't make it today…" Jack trailed off.

"I'll plan to meet ye and yer lass in Tortuga!" Gibbs assured him.

"Aye!" Jack grinned. "Now get out of here!" Gibbs turned and although not being very young, jumped off the ship and started his swim over to the Dutchman.

Jack frowned. He didn't like what he figured had happened. He assumed Barbossa found out about the doll, and forced Will to give it to him. That whelp. He wandered back down to the crew deck and found himself a sword before returning to the main deck. He strolled up to the main deck and soon found himself outside the captains cabin. He quietly snuck inside to get Angelica. He didn't want her to see the cut on his face, but he decided that she should expect it if she had been paying attention. Will was trying to convince Barbossa not to use the doll again, but it wasn't going very well. Angelica was bored of the argument and was surprised to see Jack. Will was still trying to avoid Angelica's gaze and therefore didn't notice Jack re-enter the room. Jack returned to his earlier position next Angelica. He could immediately tell that Angelica was gaping at the wound on his cheek.

The last thing he wanted was for Angelica to see how deep it was so he put his hand over it. He caught Angelica's hand only a few centimeters from his face, he figured she was trying to help him, but he did not want to be helped. He tried to just ignore her, and the pain, but it wasn't that easy.

He suddenly dropped her hand and pressed his palm to the side of his head. He tried to focus on anything but Angelica who did not know what to do. He forced himself to look up to see what Barbossa was doing to give him such an awful headache. He saw Barbossa holding the doll upside down with its head directly over a candle. He gasped and fell backwards against the wall. He began sweating from the increased temperature. His head was pounding and he could not focus on anything. He closed his eyes and let his head rest against the wall. Will watched horrified when he saw Jack. "Stop this now" he demanded.

"I think not" Barbossa said sternly. "This last one might make her more inclined to speak" He took the coat off the doll exposing it's chest and back. He drew an A with his knife over the dolls heart, going over it several time to ensure it was deep enough to leave a scar on his chest.

Jack clenched his jaw and fisted his hands against the pain. He closed his eyes so he would not have to see the looks he was getting from both Will and Angelica.

"Enough!" Will slammed his fist on the desk. Barbossa immediately set down the knife.

"Now now Mr Turner" Barbossa grinned deviously. "Shall we go pay our Spanish friend a visit" Jack looked up wearily shaking his head.

"She I'm sure can wait while she takes in how much pain she caused him." Will said trying to distract Barbossa. "Let's not forget our bargain"

"Indeed, the three ye want will be turned over to ye as soon as she talks." Barbossa said slyly.


	30. Chapter 34

"Alright, I'm sure our friends 'in the brig' are anxious know what's going on, shall we go then" Will hoped Jack got the hint that they needed to leave. Will wanted to get this over with because he knew that Angelica was not going to be easy to deal with.

Although his head no longer hurt as badly anymore, Jack was still disoriented and his chest ached. Being a few meters away from them, he hadn't seen what Barbossa had cut into him and he wasn't the least bit curious. All he knew was that his chest hurt, that Angelica would undoubtedly fuss about his well being, and that Will had just told him that they needed to get out of there. He sighed internally. Why must everything always be so complicated. He shifted slightly and motioned to Angelica that they needed to leave. She nodded in agreement and made her way silently out the open door with Jack closely behind her.

"Aye, lets go see if she be willin to talk" He heard Barbossa say just as he left the room. Angelica stopped only a few feet out the door and turned to Jack. He didn't even give her a chance to ask if he was okay before he dragged her by the arm down and under the stairs. It was a tight space. Jack sat down and Angelica squeezed in next to him. She wasn't overly fond of tight spaces, but at least she was with Jack. They were so close that she could smell the blood and sweat on his shirt.

He heard Barbossa and his peg leg on the deck above them.

"Jack are you…" Angelica started to say.

"Shh" Jack interrupted her. He knew Barbossa was above them. His plan was to get off the ship. He needed to get her off the ship. It did not matter if he was hurt or not. He was not about to let her compromise their hiding place just to ask if he was okay.

"Jack…" She started again but was once again interrupted.

"shh" He was getting irritated now. He wasn't sure if it was the pain, the company, the overall situation, or the deficit of rum, but he was not in a good mood.

"Jack just let me…" She too was getting annoyed but it was only the fault of her company. She had nothing else to really worry about. But he didn't interrupt her that time. He put his hand over her mouth to keep her from talking instead. He heard more one-legged footsteps above them, and they were getting closer. Angelica tried to pry Jack's hand off her face but to no avail. She squirmed a little but he held her down with his other arm. She gave up when she saw a large black boot on the stair in front of them followed shortly by a peg leg, and then another pair of boots. She glanced quickly at Jack who gave her a look that told her to be as silent as physically possible. She nodded slightly and he let her go. They watched as Barbossa and Will continued walking down the stairs to the lower decks without noticing them at all.

"Can't ye be quiet for once in yer life? I don't like havin to do that every time " Jack said tiredly once he was sure that they were out of earshot. He didn't want to fight with her, he didn't want to argue, all he wanted in that moment was to be aboard the Pearl, a bottle of rum in hand and her in the other. He leaned his head back and just imagined how perfect that would be. He was exhausted, his chest hurt, and he was content to rest there for a few minutes and contemplate how he could end up making his fantasy a reality. That was until he vaguely heard her talking back to him, snapping him out of his paradise.

"You wouldn't have to do that if you would give me some warning Jack" She said harshly.

"What are you goin on about?" He said wearily.

"Ugh. Just let me see your wound, it may need to be bandaged." She said plainly.

"No. It most certainly does not need a bandage, but I don't want to argue, so come on, we have to go" He made to get up but she stopped him, pulling him back by his arm.

"You _will_ sit here while I take a look at you, and you _will _stop acting like you are okay when clearly you are not" She said as she started removing his shirt. "Just let me help you" He conceded but he wasn't happy about it. He knew that it wouldn't take Barbossa that long to notice that they weren't in the brig.

Her hands glided over his warm skin as she helped him take off his shirt. He shuddered slightly under her cool touch, closing his eyes and enjoying every second of it. It didn't last very long, she gasped causing him to sit bolt up. He cringed a little from the sudden movement, but soon relaxed. There on his chest, crimson red and slightly bleeding, the letter 'A' formed out of a series of deep cuts. An overwhelming feeling of guilt washed over her. She didn't know what to say.

He assumed that she was surprised by what had been cut into his chest. He glanced down. It was as he expected. He knew Barbossa was no fool, and only a blind person would not be able to see that they were together. And what better way to make someone feel guilty than to tear their initial into the flesh of another person. He sighed and looked back up at her. She was speechless. Her expression was totally unreadable. He could guess what she was thinking based on past experience. She was probably blaming herself for all of his suffering over the past weeks, which wasn't all that much or all that bad. She was probably thinking back to when her father carved the trident on the other side of his chest and how she shot him only a few weeks ago. He was saddened by the thought that she would now always be reminded of those painful times and would be constantly feeling guilty. He didn't want that. It wasn't all her fault. Granted a lot of it was, but that was beside the point. He had done far worse to her over the years, and he was reminded of it everyday. Everytime he looked at her he remembered the young girl he met in the convent. He remembered the day he left her the first time. He had left before sunrise, without waking her. Without saying goodbye. All he left her with was a soft kiss and the memory of the time they had together. He saw her secretly after she awoke. He couldn't resist her, but he knew he couldn't stay with her. He saw her cry at his sudden disappearance. He watched her look out of her window into the street to see if she could find him. How much he wanted to go back to her, but he couldn't. He argued with himself and finally came to the conclusion that she deserved better, but he couldn't help but watch her. He remembered how lost, alone, and regretful she looked that day, and he would never forget it. At that moment she had an expression that was not so different from that one all those years ago. Regret, guilt, and sadness were written all over her face, with an ink that was stained into the very fiber of her being, and he knew it couldn't be washed away so easily.

"It's really not that bad, luv, honest. It looks worse than it is." He tried to assure her, although it actually was quite painful and he was sure that he wouldn't be able to hide it from her.

He sighed and put his hand under her chin, lifting her head to meet his gaze.

"Stop lookin like that. It weren't yer fault." He said softly. She pulled away from him and looked away. If only she would have listened to him when he told her to stay on land, many things would have been different.

"Yes it was. You're like 'this' because of me" She replied quietly.

"Like 'this'? What is that supposed to mean? I'm fine. We can toss the blame around when we get off this blasted ship, but for now stop feelin sorry fer me and yerself and come on." He said still hoping that they would both get off the ship, and wishing that she would be able to get over her obvious self loathing.

"It will need to be cleaned, but that can be done later." She said quietly as she turned back to face him. She ripped a piece of fabric and gently pressed it over the wound. He flinched causing her to jump slightly. She could tell that although he was trying to hide the pain, it was getting to him.

She wiped away most of the blood, but he would be left with a scar after it healed.

Carefully he slipped his shirt back on and made to get up. Getting to his feet, he swiftly got a head rush and his vision faded slightly causing him to stagger a bit. Angelica jumped up to catch him. He leaned on her, but as his normal vision returned he quickly let go of her. No one on deck seemed to pay them much attention. They made their way over to the edge of the ship.

"Let's go" Angelica said as she climbed onto the rail and held onto some nearby rigging. "Jack what are you doing, come on"

"Go" He said quietly. He couldn't move, or else he would have just pushed her off the rail into the water below, then at least she would be off this ship.

"Jack what is it? What's wrong?" She was confused until she heard that same maniacal laughter from her dream the other night. She looked over Jack's shoulder to see Barbossa holding the voodoo doll tightly in his hand. Will was standing right behind him, looking very uncomfortable.

"Greetings miss Teach. I hope we're not interrupting anythin of importance" Barbossa said slyly. "I'm afraid yer beloved Sparrow won't be goin anywhere. Isn't that right Jack" He turned the doll in his hand to face him. Simultaneously, being at the doll's mercy, Jack turned to face him as well.

"Ah Hector. Good to see ya again" Jack said sarcastically. "Oh and you, Mr. Turner, long time no see eh" Will merely looked at him.

"Get over here Sparrow!" Barbossa growled. Jack did as he said and scampered over, stopping right in front of them. Angelica had since gotten off the rail, and was now not sure what to do. Jack had been forced to his knees in front of her, Will was doing nothing to help them, and Barbossa still had that stupid doll; there was basically nothing she could do.

"Ms Teach, we but require some information and yer free to go, so I suggest ye start talkin" Barbossa barked.

"It is the only way you get off this ship with minimal casualties." Will said "After he gets what he wants to know, you will be escorted to my ship unharmed"

"And what about Jack?!" She asked focussing her irritation towards Will. "I won't say anything unless he is released as well"

"Sparrow stays here and ye get to go, that is our agreement. Now tell me what ye know of the treasure to rule the wind and tide, or ye can kiss good ol' Jack here, goodbye….Permanently" Barbossa said gruffly, squeezing the doll in his hand slightly, making Jack gasp suddenly.

"Don't...say...anything…" Jack barely managed to say with the increased pressure squeezing him to the point where he could hardly breath.

"The map to the place where it's hidden can only be read by two specific people, and their kin." She explained grudgingly. "You will never be able to find them though. I don't even know who they are." She lied.

"Unless perhaps I already know who they be, eh."

"How could you? It's not possible! How could you know that only blood relatives to Linus Taig or Isaac Teach have the ability to read the map and find the treasure?!" She regretted saying that as soon as she saw the smirk spread across the older man's face. Jack too wished she hadn't said that. He wasn't entirely sure who the first name was, although he had a pretty good idea. However, he did know that she stated one of her own ancestors therefore making it less likely for herself to be let go.

"So ye did know. I thank ye for yer contribution. Anythin else?" He questioned. "Perhaps a location of the map?"

"No. There were supposedly two copies. One was a fake and the other was real. I don't know where they were hidden though. I swear" She had an idea of it's whereabouts, but she was not about to disclose that information.

"Hold this" He dropped the doll into the hands of Will, drew his sword and stepped towards Angelica. "Ye best not be lyin"

"Barbossa, she is not to be harmed!" Will demanded. Jack caught his breath and stood up next to Will.

"Aye, but Jack be a different story" Barbossa said, eyeing Angelica wickedly for any sign of weakness.

"Get her off the ship!" Jack whispered hastily. Will nodded. "Punch me" He needed a distraction and that was the best he could come up with.

"What?" Will was confused.

"Just do it" Jack hissed quietly. Will gave in and dealt Jack a quick jab to the stomach. He gasped and doubled over.

"Jack!" Angelica was stunned to see Jack now on the deck again. Barbossa spun around.

"It was better than cutting him up" Will shrugged. "It wouldn't have helped you"

"Aye thats probably true."

"There's nothing more she can tell you" Will nodded to Angelica. "We will be going now, thank you for your generous hospitality."

"Pleasure as always master Turner, say hello to the misses when ye get the chance" Barbossa chuckled. "Lower the gangplank!"

"Jack!" He slowly got up and was quickly grabbed from behind by a larger crewman. "Jack!"

"Will remember what I told ye!" Jack said. Will nodded. Angelica looked from Jack to Will to Jack again. She saw what she assumed was regret in his eyes. "We'll meet again, luv, promise" He said grimly before Will grabbed Angelica by the arm and practically dragged her over to his ship.

"I'm not leaving without him! Let me go!" She struggled against him but he only gripped her tighter, and he didn't let her go until they were safely on his ship.

"Jack!" She leaned over the rail of the ship and the last she saw of Jack was him being hit over the head and limply dragged below deck.

"Jack!" She lost him again. The story of her life. There was always something that kept them apart. A few tears rolled down her cheeks as she kept her gaze fixed on the Queen Anne's Revenge that had now turned to port and was sailing away.

"You bastard!" She yelled after Will who made his way up to the helm.

"Calm down! He made me do it!" Will retorted. "Come about! Make way for Port Royal!" He ordered his crew before turning only to come face to face with Angelica.

"How dare you!?" She was furious. "I thought he was your friend?!"

"He is and that is why I agreed to help him, and thus you and your friends are safe" Will sighed.

"I trusted you!"

"Just calm down already. Go change your clothes, and get some rest. There nothing more for you to do"

"You expect me to just lie down while Jack is kept prisoner because of you?"

"He made me promise to protect you at any cost. Even if that cost was himself!" He explained harshly. "Now go sleep, we have a few days journey ahead of us if we want to help him."

"Where are we going?!"

"I'm taking you to Port Royal." He said calmly.

"How is that going to help Jack?!"

"You will be out of harms way, which is what he wanted"

"But the map that Barbossa wants is probably at shipwreck cove" She said. "We have to get it before he does!"

"Firstly, I recall you swore that you didn't know where the map was. Secondly, I am not Jack. I don't make promises that I can't keep." He said. "So yes, shipwreck cove is where I am going after you are safely with Elizabeth at Port Royal"

"Jack is more trustworthy than you give him credit for" Already she was defending him even though he had been known to break promises. "Pshh, what makes you think your wife will let me stay with her after what happened anyways?"

"She will if I tell her to. I'll explain, and I'm sure she can make accommodations for you"

"You don't know women very well." She chuckled. "But it doesn't matter, I am going to shipwreck cove, and you cannot stop me!"

"Can't I?" Will said raising an eyebrow at her. "Angelica, might I remind you that I have a crew compliment of 45 strong men including myself that cannot die. Not to mention your best friend, and this at my disposal" He held up the doll that Barbossa had forgotten about.

"You wouldn't" She stepped back from him.

"You're right" He stepped forwards and placed the doll carefully in her hands. "But do not forget whom you are talking to, I will not hesitate to do whatever necessary to keep you out of harms way."

"Thank you" she glanced down at the doll in her hands before looking back up at him.

"Now get some sleep. You both carry a piece of each other with you, do not forget that."

"What do you mean?"

"Just that you have him immortalized in that doll, and he will always have you close to his heart" He said vaguely trying not to make her upset. "Take comfort in that he will never be able to forget you, and sleep well knowing that you are safe here"

"Thank you William" She said softly before turning away from him and slowly making her way back down to the spare cabin that she had stayed in before. She removed her jacket, and her hat and slipped into the bed. She wrapped the blankets around her and held 'Jack' in her arms as she tried to fall asleep without him.


	31. Chapter 35

"In ya go" A voice said as he was tossed back into the cell.

He rubbed his eyes and looked up disoriented. He tried to recall the last few minutes. He remembered seeing Will drag Angelica off to his ship. He remembered how much she struggled against poor Will. Hopefully Will would keep his word. He didn't want to see her anytime soon. Not because he didn't want to. Of course he wanted to see her, but then again, he didn't. A pirates life is not safe for a woman. His life was not safe for her. He had too many enemies; too many problems that would end up tearing them apart. He promised he would never leave her, yet again that is exactly what happened. Only this time instead of him leaving, he made it so she left. He promised that they would meet again, but he wasn't so sure. He knew very well that he may never see her again. Perhaps that would be for the best. He didn't want to hurt her, that was never his intention, but whenever she was around, her safety always jumped to the top of his list of his priorities, distracting him from any of his previously set goals. He should have never have admitted his feelings for her back on that beach. Like always, he and now her as well would have to pay the price for his momentary lapse in judgment. If he hadn't, maybe things would have been different. It would have possibly been more lonely and less exciting, but maybe better for each of them. She deserved more of a life than he could give her anyways. Besides for the fact that Will probably had to tell her that he had made him bargain only for her safety and not his own as well. She most likely would not be pleased with that. She would likely be furious with him for having her taken away like that against her will. He wouldn't be surprised if she would have left him over it. He didn't know if he could have lived with that, but at least she would be able to move on a have a good life out of harms way. He may never know though. He would probably end up sitting here, as the eternal prisoner of this cell. At least she was free though. Free and safe from himself. Yes, that sounds better than nothing, he thought to himself just as the sound of someone approaching distracted him. He didn't know how much time had passed, but he didn't really care when he heard the footsteps stop just outside of his cell.

"Spend enough time here Sparrow?!" An unmistakable voice said.

Jack looked up. "Ah Hector. Fancy seein you here. I should count meself lucky that the captain visited me in my lowly cell. Now what do ye want?"

"Ye are a clever man. How did ye do it?"

"Do what?" Jack replied completely uninterested.

"Ye got the Pearl without my noticin"

"Ye need to pay closer attention mate. We were there listenin the whole time, everythin ye said we heard, or at least one of us did." He said smugly. "Now what is it that you want again cause as you can see I'm very busy"

"I see. Remind me again what yer so busy doing? B'cause it looks a whole lot like nuthin"

"Contemplating life, death, love, loss, sacrifice...murder, ye know, the usual" Jack said causally.

"Ha, well in that case I'll leave ye to 'contemplate' some more instead of lettin ye out" Barbossa turned to leave and Jack suddenly didn't want to sit there anymore.

He jumped up "Wait wait wait, I...er...I was just jokin, please let me out"

"Only cause I need yer help" Barbossa opened the door.

"I have conditions, my help comes with a cost ye know"

Barbossa rolled his eyes, "Name them"

"Firstly, ye will not put me back into this or any cell similar for the remainder of this little venture."

"Done"

"Secondly, I will not help ye find Angelica so don't even think it. As well, if we come across her, she will not be harmed in anyway"

"Agreed. Anythin else?"

"Thirdly, if ye decide to get rid of me, I will be left on some island with 'all' of my effects includin a pistol"

"Easy enough"

"And finally, Barbossa, will be granted use of the first mate's cabin"

"Ye can sleep with the crew"

"I most certainly will not"

"Or would ye prefer this cell?"

"Neither, You will grant my request, or no deal"

"Damn you Sparrow, fine, but I want to hear no complainin, and ye best remember who the cap't of this ship is"

"Aye, agreed."

"Is that all yer majesty?" Barbossa mocked.

Jack nodded and smirked feeling confident that was everything on his list as he sauntered out past Barbossa.

"So what is it ye need my help for anyways?"

"I be in need of findin a map or two" He answered as he followed Jack up the stairs to the main deck.

"Ah, I suspected as much" Jack said as he made his way up to the helm. "And this map is to that treasure to rule the tides or whatever"

"Aye, the one that yer beloved seemed to know more 'bout than you" Barbossa said as he reached the top of the stairs.

Jack ignored him and flipped open his compass. It spun wildly for a few seconds before it stopped and pointed behind him. He knew it was pointing to her. He quickly snapped it shut, and turned to Barbossa.

"I..er...here" He handed over the compass. "You should very well know it points to what you want most."

"I'm surprised at you sparrow" Barbossa chuckled.

"Why?"

"Jack, do ye not think I can tell"

"Tell what?" Jack's voice was a bit higher than he expected, and he was sure he knew what Barbossa was getting at.

"You've fallen fer that spaniard"

"Have not"

"Ye have so"

"Have not"

"So ye don't care for her"

"Of course not" He lied, but since she wasn't there to hear him, it was probably ok.

"It be that or ye hate her. Only love or hate could make someone create that elaborate scheme to get rid of someone else like that"

"Neither" Jack turned away slightly to hide his almost guilty expression.

"A shame it would be if she heard ye talkin like that, cause she certainly cares 'bout you"

"No. There is nothing between us; there possibly was, but it likely never will be"

"Since ye two obviously know each other well, it's a wonder she never told ye 'bout this particular treasure"

"She doesn't tell me anythin mate" Jack said glumly because it was actually true.

"That don't make ye angry?"

"Course it does. She should have told me. Apparently I'm not trustworthy enough for her." He hadn't thought about it before, but it did actually anger him somewhat to think that she really didn't trust him.

"So ye do care"

"Ugh..you slimy git…" he muttered under his breath. "Yes I care...er I did b'fore I realized I should probably never see her again"

"Ah ha. And the truth cometh forth" Barbossa grinned devilishly. "And why be that Sparrow? Ye could find er again, that be where the compass point for ye anyways. Don't think I don't know that's why ye wont use it yerself"

He didn't want to get into this right now, least of all with his old rival. But it was perplexing even to him why they had even tried a relationship after what had happened before. He sighed, might as well say it, there was not much else to do.

"Cause, no matter how hard we try, neither of us can trust the other, obviously she can't even trust me with simple information. We always fight over nothing. It is better and safer for both of us if we never see each other again." He didn't really know why he was even talking about this. Any of what he had just said could be used against him.

"Always tryin to be the hero. Only this time ye actually are thinkin 'bout someone b'sides yerself."

"Shut up" Jack mumbled. That's it, this conversation is over. "Can we just find this bloody map, and treasure so we can get on with our miserable lives?"

"Aye, but ye may want to rethink yer relationships, the world be a lonely place"

"What's this, cold hearted Barbossa trying to give me relationship advice? Shoot me now cause it's not possible" Jack joked.

"I may be old, but I know a thing or two" He flipped open the compass and it pointed almost directly behind them. Jack noticed the change in direction but he didn't register that it was the same direction as Angelica. "Come about, hard to starboard" He bellowed to his crew.

"And the hunt begins. Ye best rest up Sparrow, its goin to be a long journey" Barbossa handed him back the compass.

"Aye, just what I need to figure out my life; another adventure" He said sarcastically before walking away.

He trudged down to the lower deck in search of a bottle of rum, or two. He hadn't had it in what was probably only a day, but that was still one day too many. After acquiring his desired beverage he made his way back up to the cabin he was to be staying in. He entered, and was immediately reminded of her. It smelled of her, and he wouldn't have been surprised if all of her stuff was still there. He could go through it all later but for now he had too many things to think about. Like what Barbossa was planning to do with that treasure and why on earth Angelica hadn't told him about it. He sat down on the bed and took a large swig of rum before laying down. Why was it so difficult for her? After all, he was mostly honest with her recently. Why didn't she trust him? If he hadn't had to talk about his stupid feelings on the blasted beach, he may not be in this mess. He took another drink of rum before he rolled over and tried to fall asleep.

* * *

It was dark. Her eyes flickered open, but she couldn't see anything. The door had been cracked open. She sat up slowly and turned to see a figure leaning over the desk a few feet away. They appeared to be looking for something, but it was so dark that she couldn't tell.

Angelica slowly got up and quietly picked up her pistol from the nightstand.

"Don't move" She said hoarsely, raising the gun, but the figure did not seem to hear her.

"Finally" An easily recognizable feminine voice said just as the room was illuminated.

"Damn it Christina. I could have shot you, what are you doing?" Angelica set the gun down.

"What? Oh good you're awake" Cristina spun around. "I was coming to wake you up, but this stupid lamp went out. I didn't mean to scare you"

"I wasn't scared."

"Since when do you sleep with a pistol next to your bed? That could be potentially dangerous"

"For safety now that Ja...uh just safety. What time is it?"

"It's late morning, borderline early afternoon."

"What? Why did you let me sleep so late?" She pulled on her boots, and her jacket.

"I dunno, I figured after what happened it would be best if you got some extra sleep"

"Why does everybody always think I need to sleep more? Don't you know how much I hate sleeping late. It's a waste of time"

"Yes, I believe you mentioned that before, but who cares, come on and enjoy the day before we arrive. The weather is beautiful"

"Fine" She grabbed her hat before following Cristina out of the room and onto the deck.

There was not a cloud in the sky, and there was a slight breeze. Will smiled and waved to them from the upper deck.

"Good afternoon, you look like you're feeling better" He said as they came to stand by him.

"Funny, I don't feel better" Angelica grumbled.

"Oh cheer up. Once we reach port we can do some of the things we used to do" Christina said optimistically.

"Are you kidding me? We have to help Jack, we don't have time for anything else."Angelica replied coldly.

Cristina glanced uneasily at Will who had a similar expression of unease. Will could see that Cristina was having a hard time gathering the words so he spoke up.

"Angelica…we discussed this, and after consideration involving everything Jack had told us about, well anything, we came up with a plan."

"Yes, get on with it, tell me what it is, we have to save him" Angelica said almost excitedly. "May I ask why I wasn't included in the discussion of this plan of yours, I could have helped"

Cristina still looked nervous, and Will didn't want her to misspeak so he spoke up again.

"Because, the decision had to be made in the best interest of both you and Jack"

"That would be us going to shipwreck cove, finding the map, and beating Barbossa to the treasure, then rescuing Jack. Good plan. I like it"

"We know what is best for you both, so does Jack. Even if you cannot see it yourself, it is not your decision."

"How is it not my decision?! It is only my decision! It is my life, and no one, not one person, perhaps besides Jack, can make decisions for me!"

"This was Jack's decision" Will said reluctantly. "I am fairly certain that we went though this last night." There was silence. They had already discussed this, but that didn't mean she was over it already.

"Jack knew that only you were getting off that ship yesterday. It was his plan."

"How could he have known that? We were both close to escaping, he wasn't about to stay there by choice."

"He told us all. Mr. Gibbs, Aaron, Will, and myself. He seemed like he knew he wasn't leaving." Cristina finally spoke up. "But, he was caught on the idea that he didn't want you there with him. He made it so only you got off the ship."

"What?"

"Why don't we talk about what is going to happen next somewhere else, and maybe have a drink" Will suggested. "Mr. Turner, take the helm" His father looked up from the main deck.

"Come on" Cristina said tugging on Angelica's arm who had too many thoughts in her mind. She needed to sit down.

"Keep us on course for Port Royal" Will ordered as he passed his father on his way down the stairs.

"Aye sir" He replied quickly.

Angelica sat down by the table in Will's cabin while Will and Cristina stepped out for a second.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Cristina was not completely happy with his idea.

"No, but what choice do we have. You told me that Jack told you to do whatever necessary to stop her from going after him. That is what we are doing" Will tried to explain away the guilt he too was feeling, but it wasn't really working.

"I don't want to lie to her! And Jack is our friend, what will he think if he finds out what we are about to tell her?!"

"He will either be furious, or grateful, its difficult to say, but that doesn't matter, I can reason with him later, but we have to take care of her now."

"I don't know about this. It was almost unbearable to be around either of them when they were fighting."

"I know what she is like. After she killed him she was devastated, but still, we have too"

"Will...they were going to get married, we can't...it's not right to lie to her about him. I tried that before, and the outcome was awful…"

"Well, then you need to come up with something more important to her and fast, because that is the best I got."

"She is my best friend! I can't just make up something!"

"Then we are left with but one option. Follow my lead, and don't give in no matter what. Remember this is for both of them. You said it yourself that you thought she was never going to be safe or happy with him anyways."

"Fine, lets get this over with" Neither were happy with the situation, but without going back on their word to Jack they didn't really have any other choice.

Cristina followed Will back into the room. Will lit some of the lanterns around the room while Cristina took a seat next to Angelica, who was busy chugging down a bottle of rum she had found lying didn't usually drink it because she didn't particularly like it, but she didn't really care. She didn't feel good, and thought that perhaps a drink would improve her mood.

"I see you found my rum" Will chuckled uneasily.

"Have anymore?" She set down the empty glass. Will and Cristina just looked at it. The time she was on his ship she hadn't touched any alcohol, not even when she was upset over Jack's death. Cristina was equally awestruck, it had been a long time since the last time she watched her friend drink to rid herself of her sorrows. In fact the last time Cristina had seen Angelica upset enough to drink, Jack had just left for the second time. She could tell this wasn't going to be good.

After a few seconds of silence Will snapped out of his momentary lapse in concentration.

"...uh..Yes, I suppose I can find you some" Will looked around for about a minute or so before he returned to the table carrying a few bottles of rum. "This should be enough" He chuckled.

He handed Angelica a bottle. She quickly uncorked it and took a deep swig of it. Cristina and Will merely watched her.

"Uh...Cristina would you like a rum as well...or would you prefer something else?" Will said distractedly.

"I don't usually drink a lot of alcohol, I'm fine for now, thanks." She knew her friend was not much of an alcohol drinker either. She felt guilty and she hadn't even really said anything yet.

"So what's going to happen? What is so important that we had to sit down to discuss it?!" Angelica hissed.


	32. Chapter 36

"So what's going to happen? What is _so_ important that we had to sit down to discuss it?!" Angelica sat back in her chair.

"...uh…" Cristina couldn't make herself say it, but she had to remind herself that it was for the best.

"She was about to say, that you don't really want to rescue Jack." Will interjected.

"Thats absurd, why wouldn't want to save him? We were happy together!" She was borderline yelling, but it was mostly because of the alcohol.

"Try not to get upset, and just hear me out before you jump to any conclusions." Will hoped he wouldn't ever have to do this, but there was not much else he could do.

"Alright already just tell me what the hell is going on"

"Jack told us to tell you that if he didn't make it off with you yesterday that he...uh...revokes his...uh" He didn't know if he could say it either.

"My god, spit it out Will!" If she hadn't been irritated before, she clearly was now.

"He revokes his proposal of marriage, and he wants you to move on with your life because he doesn't want you to care about him anymore" Cristina finished the lie for him. Both Will and Angelica turned to look at her, but she tried not to look at them. She glanced at Angelica who was now looking intensely at her empty bottle of rum.

"He couldn't have said that" She muttered monotonously, the words not yet sinking in as truth.

Will glanced at Cristina who looked uneasy about Angelica's reaction.

"Angelica are you alright?" Will asked cautiously. No answer. He wasn't sure if he should have expected one though. He couldn't fathom what it must be like to be lied to by almost everyone you trust. Ignorance is not always bliss. He wondered how Elizabeth would react to this kind of news. He wasn't sure he could imagine that either. Not being around women kind of left him clueless on how to best talk to her.

"Angelica...are you ok?" Cristina tried this time, but there was still no answer.

"He wouldn't do that. He promised" She mumbled to herself, still enticed by the bottle in her hand.

"Angelica can you hear me?" Cristina tried to get her attention again, but still not a word in response.

"Angelica what are you thinking about?" Will asked again, but he could guess, that like anyone, it was only a matter of time before she blew up at them.

"What am I thinking about? Are you sure you want to know?" She finally said quietly to them.

"Yes, we only want to help you" Cristina said softly. Will and Cristina shared a similar expression of both confusion and worry as Angelica stood up.

"What I am thinking about is how many different ways I could kill that sorry bastard!" She yelled viciously. "And how stupid I was for trusting him and you, my so called friends! This is all your fault!" She threw the bottle across the room narrowly missing Will's head. It shattered against the wall. Christina gasped.

"How could you of all people tell me that!" Angelica hissed.

"I told you because I am your friend!" She stood in defense, speaking with a similar volume as Angelica who staggered towards her.

"You should have let me believe it. You're no friend of mine!"

"How can you say that? I have known you for years!"

"Well no longer! You have almost single handedly ruined my life!"

"What life?! You mean the one where you wait hopelessly for the man you think you love to change and suddenly become the prince charming that you want him to be?! After 'this' and everything else he put you through?!"

"How dare you!?" Angelica shoved her roughly away from her.

"How dare I what?! Tell you the truth? Try to help you get over him? Say what he told me to tell you? Oh yes, I'm such a bad person for that!" Cristina retorted giving Angelica a shove as well.

"I might not be able to blame you for that, but we were fine until we came aboard your ship!"

"Whose fault is that then?! I certainly didn't ask for you to stowaway on my ship. Which should I mention is now sunk along with my crew because of you!"

"That's not the point!"

"Then what is?! You say I ruined your life somehow, but you basically ruined mine too, so I guess we're even"

Angelica rolled her eyes.

"But do you want to why we are different?"

"Go on, spit it out"

"Because unlike you, I still have a chance to live a happy life, with someone who truly cares for me. But not you, you will waste your days waiting and hoping that the man who doesn't really care about you, and least of all who doesn't deserve you, changes into something he will never be: the man you do deserve. You say you hate him now, but you don't really. You will go back to being head over heels in love with him in a matter of days, and you will risk your life to save him. But I have news for you. He can't be saved. You can't save him from himself! He will never change, and you two will continue this love affair until one of you is killed! Probably you!" She wasn't even really aware of how she, herself was now almost yelling just as violently.

"How touching, but that was the last straw! If anyone's going to die, it will be you! Right here! Right now!" Angelica drunkenly snarled as she pulled out her sword. Cristina backed up until she felt the wall behind her. Her momentary burst of fiery anger quickly faded at the sight of that blade before her. She wasn't upset anymore, she just wanted to get out of there. She knew Angelica wasn't herself. She wished for things to go back to the way they were. Before her ship was sunk. Before Jack and Angelica had found her. Before she had to lie to her best friend. Before...now.

She wasn't afraid of what Angelica might do to her. She was afraid of what Angelica would do when she came to her senses.

All the while Will had been sitting and watching these two women fight. He thought perhaps letting them blow off some steam would be good for at least Angelica, but he wasn't about to let them have an actual fight. Not on his ship. He jumped up and stepped in front Angelica's sword blocking Cristina.

"Stop this now! There will be no fighting, or killing on my ship! Just everybody calm down" He demanded.

"Make me! This is your fault too!" Angelica taunted waving her sword at him.

"Fine then!" He moved to force the sword from her grasp but she was too quick. He saw the glint of pure anger in her eyes just as she drove her sword through his stomach.

He sighed as she stepped back stunned at herself.

"Don't you remember that I can't be killed" He slowly pulled the now bloodied sword out of himself and set it down on the table.

He stepped towards her, but she backed away from him too horrified at what had just happened.

"Stop this, and just calm down. Everything will work out the way it's supposed to..." He said calmly before he was interrupted by a knock on the cabin door. "Come in, what is it?"

Aaron opened the door. "Will, we will be there in about two...Cristina, are you alright?"

They all turned in time to see her stagger a few steps before collapsing.

Both Will and Aaron rushed to her side, but Angelica didn't move at all.

"Cristina, Cristina can you hear me?" Aaron asked softly, whilst holding her hand tightly. She didn't respond except for a few erred groans of pain.

She had a gash on her right side. Will realized Angelica's sword must have gone through him and cut her.

"Aaron help me lift her onto this table." He quickly brushed everything onto the floor. They lifted her onto to table carefully.

"Aaron, put pressure on her wound, I'll be right back with some water and bandages, listen to anything she says. She's already lost a lot of blood, she might not..." Will trailed off before he ran from the room followed by Angelica although she was walking as if she didn't care at all. He sped down to the storage deck as fast as possible, got what he was looking for and made his way back up to where Aaron was with Cristina.

He ran right past Angelica who was now sitting on the stairs to the main deck.

"Is she going to live?" She called after him. She didn't sound as drunk as before, and she was definitely calmer, but Will couldn't tell if she was upset or not. But, she sounded rather uncaring from where she sat.

He stopped for a moment to look back at her.

"I don't know" He said grimly before turning and running back into the room.

"Will! Get over here, she won't wake up!" Aaron yelled as soon as he saw Will.

"Did she say anything? Before she completely passed out, did she say anything?" Will asked.

"Yeah, that she was sorry for getting blood on the floor, but that was it"

"That it?"

"I couldn't tell, she was too quiet, but I think so."

"Ok, well she's not dead yet, so we may still be able to save her" He rinsed the wound and bandaged her up as best he could since he obviously was not a doctor. They carefully moved her over to Will's bed so she would be more comfortable.

"All we can do now is wait and hope that she does wake up" Will said sitting back in a chair.

"How did that happen, I'm sure you didn't hurt her" Aaron sat on the other side of the table nearest to where Cristina lay. He didn't know her terribly well, but he had grown fond of her in the past day.

"No, I did not." Will sighed thinking back on how that even started and how it escalated so quickly. "It was a mistake, a drunk accident"

"Angelica" Aaron muttered. Will nodded, but he became suddenly aware that he had not checked on her since the incident. He had to make sure she didn't hurt herself, or at least that she wasn't drinking more.

"Stay with her will you, and let me know if she wakes up" Aaron nodded before Will turned to leave the room.

Out on the main deck Will couldn't seem to find her. He had walked the whole length of the ship twice and had even looked in the cabin she stayed in, but he couldn't find her. He gave up looking by himself and walked up to the helm where his father was.

"Have you seen Angelica?"

"No, I can't say that I have"

"Ugh, then perhaps the crew can find her" He said as he walked back down to the main deck.

He gathered up a few members of his crew to help him.

"You need to find Miss Angelica. Report back to me when you find her. I want this ship searched top to bottom, stem to stern. Get a move on!" He ordered his small search party. But none of them moved, they all blankly stared back at him.

"What does she look like again?" One of the crewmen asked.

Will rolled his eyes. How could they not have noticed the Spanish beauty aboard their ship, now for the second time. "Brown curly hair, chocolate brown eyes, caramel tanned skin, spanish accent, tallish, sassy attitude, brown leather coat, and a hat with a feather in it. Get the picture?!"

"Aye sir" They all said at once before they scurried off in all directions, while he made his way back up to the helm to wait.

"Somethin the matter son?" Bootstrap asked from behind him.

"Some women are so difficult" He sighed and leaned against the rail overlooking the ship. Bootstrap chuckled.

"What?" Will was slightly confused at his father's amusement.

"No, you're wrong. _All _women are difficult" He joked.

"Sir! I found her" A crewman said hastily from behind them.

They both turned around to see where he was pointing.

"Of course. When people feel guilty, they do do stupid things."Will realized as he spotted her sitting on the edge of the crows nest on the main mast.

"Well don't just stand there boy, go and get her. I don't fancy scrapin a young lady off the deck." Bootstrap said.

At that Will nodded and started climbing the rigging.

"Angelica!" He yelled against the wind. "Angelica come down from there!"

She didn't answer. She didn't even look in his direction.

As he got closer he saw that she was holding yet another bottle of rum, but by the looks of it she already drank most or all of it.

"Angelica, stop this nonsense." He said calmly as he came to sit down next to her. She wasn't paying him any attention though. She dropped the bottle over the side, but Will caught it.

"Hey, what are you doing? That guy was in the perfect place to get hit with that" She grumbled.

"Angelica, stop this childish behavior. Obviously you are mad at me. You are mad at Jack, and you are mad at Cristina."

"No… no duh...genius" She slurred. "So what...what do you want? Can't you… you just leave me alone?"

"No, because you might hurt yourself"

She stood up shakily and peered over the edge down at the main deck, something could not have been paid to do had she been sober.

"Why must… must everyone always have to worry...about me...I can take care of myself..." She was about to accidentally step off the platform, but Will stopped her.

"Because if we don't, who will?"

She didn't answer.

"No one, now come on, you need to get down before you really do get hurt or worse. If that happened, Jack would probably find a way to kill me"

"I like it up...here though, and I… I thought you were...immortal?"

"He's Jack Sparrow, he would find a way, that is if something happened to you. Now come on before something does"

"No. And after all you've told me...I don't think he would mind at all, in fact he might even thank you"

"That's it! You're coming down with me right now, whether you want to or not"

"No. I'm afraid of heights, I can't"

"Well, I'm not going to carry you so you will have to climb down yourself" Will was getting tired of this.

"Fine" She said tipsily.

"Great let's go then, we don't have all day, we are soon approaching your destination" He said with sudden cheerfulness as he started climbing down.

"Where is that again?" She asked as she followed him down the rigging.

He rolled his eyes. He wasn't sure how fond of her he was when she was sober, but he definitely did not enjoy being around her when she was drunk.

"It's where you will be staying for a while" he said as he helped her down off the rail.

He turned around to see Aaron walking towards him.

"She hasn't woken up yet, but she seems like she is sleeping easier at least."

"That's good, she can rest until we get there, and you can carry her to Elizabeth's house before you return to the ship"

"Who are you talking about exactly?" Angelica asked from behind them.

"Cristina" Will said calmly. Her confused expression quickly changed to that of concern.

"Is she okay?" She was getting over her drunkenness and her thoughts and behaviors were slowly returning to normal.

"uh...probably...hopefully she will make a full recovery, but it will take her at least a few days before she is back to normal" She barely waited for him to finish his answer before she darted off into the room where Cristina was lying. She sat on the edge of the bed.

"I...I didn't mean it...I didn't mean any of it" She mumbled as tears tugged at her eyes. She held her hand in her own. "You need to wake up...you need to be okay...this isn't what I wanted…" She looked away. Once again she let her damn emotions get out of control, ending in the injury of just one more person she cared about. Maybe it was this life. Maybe she was never meant to be a pirate. She loved the ocean true enough, but everything that came with it, all of the pain, and loneliness. Was it worth it? She felt Cristina's hand twitch slightly, tearing her from her thoughts. She looked over to see her friend grinning up at her.

"You're here...I thought we weren't friends anymore" Cristina said weakly.

"Of course I am. I...uh...I did not mean what I said earlier, I was a bit drunk. Sorry"

"A bit?!" she chuckled lightly. "I haven't seen you like that in a long time. You were more than 'a bit' drunk"

"Yeah, I know. Can you forgive me?"

"I suppose, on one condition."

"What? Anything?"

"Don't let it happen again" She smiled.

"Done. We will arrive in a short time, it wont be long till we're headed to shore."

"You mean you decided to stay with Elizabeth for a few days?"

"Yeah, I..uh...I realized I have some issues to work out before I decide what to do and you have to get better"

"Alright, as long as you're actually okay with it"

"Rest for a few more minutes, I have to get some stuff before we leave"

"Okay" Angelica picked up her sword as she walked out back to the main deck where Will and Aaron were still talking.

"Wait what do you mean I have to come back?" Aaron sounded confused.

"Because as I understand it, you are part of Jack's crew therefore making you partly responsible for his rescue. Besides, I can't go on land which is what I need you for" Will explained.

"Come on. If I go with you, who's gunna protect Angelica and Cristina then?" He really didn't think they needed protection, but he didn't want to go on any sort of rescue mission. Although, Jack had probably saved his life, he still didn't want to.

"They will be fine with Elizabeth, besides, they are generally capable of taking care of themselves" Will said as he walked off. They were approaching the harbor, but with a ship such as the Flying Dutchman, he thought it best to have them row to shore in a dinghy so as not attract the attention of the royal navy.

"Drop anchor, and lower the long boat" He ordered his crew. "Angelica if you brought anything with you don't forget it. I don't imagine you will be back here anytime soon."

"Ok, I'll be ready to go in a few minutes then" She trudged away to the cabin to make sure she didn't leave anything.

She had her hat, her coat, and most importantly the doll. The only thing left to do was to find Mr. Gibbs. He was just where she expected him to be, sitting below decks with a bottle of rum.

"Hello there Miss Angelica, aren't ye on yer way off now?" He sat up as she approached him.

"Yes, I agreed to stay with Elizabeth for a few days"

"Come to say goodbye then 'ave ye?"

"Yes, but not before I get what I want" Her voice suddenly turned sharp.

"And what's that?" He set down his drink, paying more attention.

She pulled out her sword quickly pointing it at him. He slowly stood and put his hands up. "Sure, what is it then?" He said, a bit confused.

"I need the Pearl. where is it?" She demanded.

"Ye know I can't give it to ye, Jack'll have my head"

"But I will have your head now if you don't hand it over" She stuck the blade closer to him.

"What am I goin to tell 'im then? That I let a woman take it from me?"

"No, not just some woman" She snarled. "You can tell that sorry bastard that _I_ took it from you, and if he wants it, then he'll have to come and get it himself!"

"Ok, easy, put the sword down, and I'll fetch it for ye" He had wrapped it in a small piece of cloth and left it near his hammock. He retrieved it, and reluctantly gave it to her.

"Thank you" She walked away, but stopped at the bottom of the stairs.

"I'll give Captain Jack yer regards then shall I" He called after her.

"If you think thats a good idea" With that she walked away up the stairs and back onto the main deck.

By now, the sun was low in the sky, but it was still reflecting vibrantly off the smooth waves that caressed the ship.

Out on the deck Will and Aaron were helping Cristina into the smaller boat, and now the only person they were waiting for was Angelica.

She meandered over to the edge of the ship and carefully climbed into the little boat, sitting next to Cristina.

"Safe journey to all of you, and Aaron...wait, I'll be right back" He ran off to his cabin, and returned with a sealed letter. He passed it down to Aaron who took it curiously.

"Give that to my wife will you?"

"Sure thing. I'll be back in no more than six hours." He began the row towards the port. It was long and quiet. None of them were feeling very talkative, in fact Cristina was practically asleep. The sun was setting, and the sky changed from bright orange to a dull lavender. Angelica couldn't help but stare at it in wonder, transfixed by it's beauty. When they landed, the walk to Elizabeth's house seemed longer than Angelica had remembered, or maybe it was just because she had to keep waiting for Aaron, who was carrying Cristina, to catch up. Either way, they finally arrived and knocked on the front door. Footsteps were heard from inside just before the door was cracked open.

"Yes? Who is it?" Elizabeth asked before she could clearly see who it was. "Angelica...is it? It that you?"

"Yes, it is. Will said you could help us. My friend is injured and needs a place to rest" She said glancing back at Cristina who looked almost comfortable being held by Aaron like that.

"Sure, come in. Set her down on the sofa in the living room." She stepped aside, closing the door after them.


	33. Chapter 37

**A/N Sorry it's been a while. I have only one word...life...Anyways, here it is, and I cannot say how glad I am that I finished it. After last chapter being about Angelica, I wanted to have this one be about Jack. The only thing is, it might be a little bit lack luster, slow, unexciting. I guess it's more of a thoughtful chapter, but I do quite like the ending. (Also, I did the editing at 1:30 this morning, so please, excuse any typos)**

**Thank you, thank you, thank you, for the positive reviews. They are always delightful to read, and they are so motivating. :)**

**Please, enjoy. :)**

* * *

He hadn't slept hardly at all. The same words buzzed around in his head; his promise to never leave her again, and that cursed three word phrase that had been spoken too many times between them in recent days. As he lay there, thinking, he almost felt guilty and it was eating him up on the inside. Over and over he would tell himself that he wasn't feeling guilty, that it was nothing, that it wasn't his fault. Yet, even that wasn't enough to convince himself, because it was his fault he was feeling like this. Compared to his usual carefree nature, he felt bloody awful. He rolled over, trying to fall back asleep, but he couldn't. His mind was too preoccupied.

Bloody feelings. Bloody woman. Why the hell should he feel like this, when she was probably off happily somewhere else. He didn't get it. He rolled over again. If only he wouldn't have said those three cursed words to her. If only he could have just pretended like he didn't care, for his own sake, because now he couldn't even sleep, let alone think about anything else.

It was still very early, but he decide to get up. He couldn't lie there anymore, he needed a change in scenery to take his mind off of everything.

Just after slipping on his effects, he decided a stroll up to the main deck sounded nice.

Most of the crew were still asleep in their hammocks as he passed by them quietly.

A swift breeze chilled the air, but he paid it no attention as he stepped out onto the deck. The sun was still just below the horizon, although the lowest portion of the sky was tinted a bright orange-ish yellow.

He had always enjoyed gazing over the perpetual waves of the sea, and watching the sky light up with the glow of the rising sun. He found that it could take his mind off his worries, no matter what they were. He found peace in it, and it reminded him of pure freedom; the ability to do whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted, wherever he wanted. There was not much on earth that could compare to standing at the helm of a ship with a bottle of rum and the warm feeling of the sun on his skin with nothing but the open sea ahead of him. It almost made him feel stronger; like there was nothing that could stand in his way.

But not now, he didn't have the luxury of being on his own ship. He couldn't give orders. He couldn't change their destination on a whim. He had no control here. Here, he was a prisoner of the wooden hull, guarded by the endless waves that crashed against the ship, and escorted by the maroon sails that flapped in the wind. Here, he most certainly was not free. Here, he was alone; cut off from anyone and everyone he could have ever claimed to have feelings for.

But for now, he at least felt calmer, and he let his mind drift.

He was leaning over the rail close to the bow of the ship. Breathing deeply, he could smell the crisp freshness in the air. The sea was fairly calm, letting the large ship glide smoothly over the rolling waves. The natural creaks and groans of the ship against the water were almost music to his ears. To some, he imagined, it could get annoying after a while, but he could have stood there and just watched the serene view and listened to the creaking of the ship for the rest of his life. It was simply breath taking. No doubt, he had seen this same view on countless occasions, but it always seemed new, exciting, perfect and no less beautiful every time. And of course, the creaking of the ship was nothing new either, but it was relaxing to him. In that moment he was without a care in the world. Nothing and no one to worry about. It was just him and the sea, but some quiet footsteps and low murmurs on the deck behind him quickly brought him out of that fantasy.

He had probably been standing there for twenty or so minutes before he had heard the other people shuffling around on the deck. He sighed, letting go of what he had just felt and returned to the reality of his situation.

More of the crew had woken up and had now begun to start on their duties. He wanted no part in it. As far as he was concerned, he wasn't part of the crew, and therefore he wasn't required to work. Although, he didn't want to test his luck with Barbossa, so he decided he would find some more rum and just return to the cabin below decks.

He found a few bottles and carried them back to the cabin, setting them down on the desk. There wasn't much to do. He sat down at the desk, and pulled out his compass. It spun wildly, around and around before it stopped. It pointed more off to the left of where the ship was now headed. He blinked at it in wonder, but that didn't last long. He grimaced and snapped it shut remembering where it would probably always point. He chucked it away from him with more force than he had intended, but it landed, unharmed on the bed.

Opening a bottle of rum and taking a drink, he decided that now would be as good a time as any to go through Angelica's stuff. He had done a good job of taking his mind off her that morning, but, staying in her cabin surrounded by her belongings would force him to think about her again. There was no way around it, so he decided to start with the drawers of the desk.

He pulled out piles of papers. Most of them were ripped, folded, or burnt around the edges. Many of them were maps with various routes drawn and labeled on them. Others were newspaper clippings, mostly the articles were about pirate hangings, or any type of news about the royal navy. He skimmed through some of them stopping on one titled "Black Sailed Ship Targets Port Royal". Beneath it, there was a depiction of the scene; a rendition by an artist. The ship was in the middle of the harbor surrounded by and erie looking fog, and it was firing cannons at the naval port. He recognized it immediately. He remembered seeing a similar scene that night all those years ago. He had been locked in that prison cell overlooking the bay, watching the Black Pearl fire, and hearing the cannonballs rip through the air, colliding with buildings on land. He was curious about why she had that.

He flipped through a few more maps before finding another article that caught his eye. Except this time, his name was on it; "Pirate Jack Sparrow, escaped or released?". It was dated not but a few weeks after the other one. He assumed that was when he 'jumped' off the wall of the fort after escaping the in the world would this woman have been interested in that. Why would she care?

He continued, skipping past a few more maps, stopping on yet another article. The title read; "The Infamous Jack Sparrow Dead: Lost At Sea. At Last".

"Thats a bloody lie" He murmured. "I was eaten, not lost. Left to die, stranded on me own ship" Beckett must have sent news to the King or something after he had been eaten alive by the kraken. He read the story that went along with the title, but some of the words had been smudged out as if water had been spilled on the page, or it had been raining. He sat back a moment, pondering this peculiarity. Or perhaps tears.

That bloody woman cried over me? All those years ago, she had still cared enough to cry? Wow, he thought. He would have grinned if he hadn't been telling himself that it didn't change anything.

He moved on to the next article; "Sparrow, Dead or Alive Wreaks Havoc on Navy Vessel". He smirked at that. It must have been the time when his very complicated plan came together and actually worked out, ending in the destruction of his long time enemy, Beckett.

The last article was more recent; "Infamous Jack Sparrow, Escapes; Dangerous Pirate Loose in the City of London" He almost chuckled. He remembered the sneer on Barbossa's make-up covered face as he skillfully escaped the King's royal guard.

He put the papers down and looked back at the maps. They all had a different set of lines drawn messily on them. Some showed trips to and from an unnamed location he recognized as Tortuga. Others showed paths to various other unnamed locations that were all too familiar to him.

"Bloody hell" He took another drink of rum. She had been tracking him. Not only that, but she would have had to do a ton of searching to compile all of these things. Not to mention the amount of time this must have taken her. He was amazed, but slightly horrified that she actually had been looking for him that extensively, and that she was doing a very good job of keeping track of where he was. It felt strange to him. He wasn't sure if liked it. He thought about it some more, and in light of fairly recent events, he realised that she must have done that so she could set him up. Get to know where he went, when he went, and why he went so she could set up a trap for him, and force him to help her. True enough, he was probably the only living person who, at that time, had been rumored to have found the fountain of youth, but he hadn't. Of course she wouldn't have known that, but he hadn't actually been that helpful on their little journey. Apart from 'lending' them his compass, retrieving the chalices, and saving them a few times, they hadn't really needed him. What was still perplexing to him, was the vast amount of work that had been put into finding, and capturing him since they really didn't need him.

He sat back in the chair and pondered that thought for a moment. Why? It didn't make sense to him. Certainly she didn't want him around just for the pleasure of it, for everything he knew, she was still angry at him for leaving her. So, that ruled out it being her choice, but if not for his compass, Blackbeard wouldn't have required his presence. He thought back to everything she had said to him whilst on that ship.

He almost dropped all of the papers he was holding.

Unless, it was him who was supposed to be sacrificed to save Blackbeard. She had said it while they were fighting at the fountain, but he hadn't taken her seriously. But, then again, no one ever plans that extensively just to bring someone along for no reason. She was planning that. The whole time, she had been planning to kill him. Damn her.

He was more angry at his attempted murder than he was when she had actually killed him. Sure he had actually died, but he understood why. He was going to leave her on that beach with nothing after confessing feelings for her, which he was beginning to believe had been the biggest mistake of his life. But to drag him all the way to the fountain, so he could be the unfortunate soul sacrificed to let Blackbeard live, she had no reason! No motive, no excuse! He hadn't seen her for years, she was supposed to have moved on. She should have gotten over whatever she had felt for him, whether that was anger or love, she should have left it in the past.

So, it was her fault. It was her fault that he is in the current situation. If not for her, he would probably be in Tortuga, with multiple full bottles of rum, or using a better devised plan to get his ship back.

He kicked the desk and threw the papers, making a mess. He snatched another bottle of rum off the desk and nearly chugged the whole thing down.

He had to get up, he couldn't sit there anymore, he couldn't think about this anymore. Although it pained him to go onto the deck, and possibly get pressganged into doing actual work, he need a better distraction for a while. He could go through the rest of her stuff later when he calmed down.

He was still miffed as he stomped his way onto the main deck.

The ship was sailing smoothly, and the sun was higher in the blue sky, but that was no longer good enough to calm him down.

"Oi, Sparrow! Get up 'ere!" Barbossa barked.

Rolling his eyes, he trudged up to the quarterdeck where Barbossa was standing.

"What do ye want" He grumbled.

"Yer in quite the mood t'day. Ye look bloody awful" Barbossa said in a taunting tone.

"I am fine" He said through gritted teeth. "Now what do ye want?"

"I require yer compass to be sure we be on the proper course."

"And, why don't ye look at a map"

"I did, we are on course for shipwreck cove, I just wanted to be makin sure"

"Wait what? Are you sure thats where we're headed?" He hoped that he heard wrong, cause that was not what he wanted to hear.

"Aye, the maps don't lie, nor does yer compass unless I be mistaken. Perhaps if I were to have a look at it, I could verify that we be on the proper course."

"That wont be necessary, I'm sure this is the right way"

"Then shipwreck cove be our destination."

"Oh" Jack said glumly. He was not looking forward to that. "How long do we intend on stayin?"

"We be stayin no longer than two days, that should give you plenty of time to find the charts"

Jack's eyes lit up, he could use that to his advantage. "Why can't you get them yerself?!"

"Cause, Sparrow, there be other things that have to be dealt with" Barbossa snapped.

"Like what 'things'?!"

"It be no concern of yers, but it needs to be done b'fore we depart" He stepped away to yell a few orders to the crew.

"Great" Jack said sarcastically. He followed him over to the top of the stairs. "I'm having a thought here, Barbossa"

"What?" Barbossa grumbled.

"What say, since we're clearly not in a hurry, we run up a flag of truce, and after the finding of these bloody maps, we celebrate with a stop at Tortuga"

"Now why would I be doin that?"

"We could resupply, make any repairs, have a drink er two eh? Plus, I think yer crew could use some shore leave"

"Oh fine then, but yer not leavin the ship, now get out of my way and make yerself useful!"

He started walking away, but Jack stepped in front of him again.

"I will be leavin the ship, you can count on that. Consider it an extension of our previous agreement, savvy" Jack smirked.

Barbossa rolled his eyes. "Fine, but I require somethin else of ye too in that case."

"What now?!"

"I demand the return of Jack to me"

"Me, but I'm right here"

"Not you, the monkey"

"Blasted little devil, gladly, he's yours, I'll be sure to return it to you the next chance I get. Although, it'll be a while"

"Agreed, now get off my deck! We will arrive within a few hours, so be ready to go"

"Aye" He considered himself lucky that Barbossa didn't force him to work, but then again he was basically banished back to his cabin.

He trudged back below decks. He returned to the desk to finish what he started.

The other drawers mostly contained stationery supplies: some fountain pens, paper, ink, compasses, seals, and the occasional stick of wax. In one of the drawers, there were only two items, a loaded pistol, and a sharp looking dagger. Having no real reason, he took the dagger and slid it into his right boot. Who knows when one might need a weapon, and besides it wasn't like anyone was using it right then anyways.

He leaned back in his chair, drinking more rum. Where else do women keep things of importance besides on their person, he wondered. He glanced around the room before his eyes came to rest on a trunk. It likely only had her clothes in it, but what the heck, might as well go though that too. It wasn't like he had anything else to do.

He moved away from the desk and kneeled in front of the trunk, pulling open the lid. It was as he suspected, clothes. It was more organized than he expected though. All of her white flowing shirts were folded neatly on top of her pants, which were next to a pile of other various pieces of fabric.

He might have felt bad for going through her stuff if she had actually been there, but she wasn't, so he didn't. Digging through her clothes, tossing them over his shoulder, making quite a mess in the process, he stopped when he came across one of her bandanas. She had been wearing it the night they danced, before they had reached the fountain of youth. He held it up to his face. It smelled of her. Not in a bad way, but in a way that reminded him of her stunning beauty. He tied it to his belt to serve as a reminder or her, and more generally to not trust anyone with his feelings like he did with her, again. Turning his attention back to the trunk, there was not much left in it apart from another white shirt, another pistol and dagger set, and a dress.

She must have been bloody nervous about somthin for havin all these weapons about, he thought.

He glanced back at the dress, he became slightly curious so he pulled it out and laid it on the bed. It was draped cream fabric, with maroon sleeves. The bust was fitted, and the rest of the fabric looked as if it would flow beautifully. The only thing was that he couldn't picture her wearing it. Well, he actually could imagine her in it. Twirling gracefully around, without a care in the world, letting her hair cascade over her shoulders, with a smile on her face. The thing was that he couldn't imagine her willing to wear it. Not that she would look bad in it, in fact she would probably look stunning in it, but she never wore dresses. Her father must have bought it for her or something because there was no way she would choose to get it on her own, he thought. Or maybe it was her mothers; that was probably more likely. He realized that he didn't know much about her mother. He thought it odd, that after all those years he'd known her, she hardly mentioned her at all.

But, he was getting bored of that, so he piled every piece back into the trunk, not bothering to fold any of it.

There was only one thing left in that room that he hadn't gone through. There was a small-ish box near the foot of the bed. He strode over to it, and moved it onto the bed. There was a short stack of letters, two leather bound books, and a folded map. One book was easily recognizable as a Bible, but the other was smaller, and the binding had much more wear. The smaller of the two books was of more interest to him, but he planned on going through the letters, and studying the map at some point so he set them both aside. He opened the cover of the book and scribbled on the first page was, "Diario de Angélica". Now he was really interested.

But before he had a chance to look into it any further, there was a sharp pounding on the door.

"Sparrow, get out here!" He recognized it as Barbossa's voice. He tucked the letters, the map, and the journal into his jacket, grabbed his compass, and strutted over to the door.

"Aye"

"We've arrived, now get out of there, and go find those charts!" Barbosa demanded.

Jack shrugged and sauntered off the ship, and up the dock. He knew the first place he would look. He didn't really want to, but if he was ever going to talk to his father, he might as well go see him first. Actually, he rather disliked the way his father would appear out of no where, and then disappear before he could get any real answers or information, so he was determined to find him first. He was nearly there, he had probably taken at least half an hour, but the all too familiar voice from behind him made him stop. He sighed, damnit, he turned around.

"'Ello Jackie" Cap't Teague said.

"Hello dad" Jack grinned slightly.

"Why are ye here?" Teague did not seem pleased to see him. "And in the company of Barbossa at that?"

"Can we go to yer office er somthin to talk?" Jack asked nervously. Teague nodded. Neither of them spoke again until they reached the office.

"What is it this time boy?!" Teague snapped as soon as they shut the door behind them.

Jack sat down. "How much do ye know 'bout the treasure to…"

"So that's why yer here" Teague interrupted, his expression far too serious for Jack's liking.

"I take it you know quite a bit"

"Unfortunately" Teague sat down behind his desk and sifted through a pile of papers. Finally he handed Jack a map.

"Is this…?" He looked at it. "How did you get this?!"

"Yer great great grandfather Linus Taig was entrusted to it's protection, and granted the ability to read it by a powerful sorceress"

"Bloody hell" Jack exclaimed. "Now answer me this, how does this relate to Isaac Teach?"

Teague sighed. "They were best friends, and they found the sorceress together. They both had been granted the gift to read this map, and the other."

"Well, isn't that just perfect!" Jack growled. "Why didn't you ever tell me this, oh I don't know, anytime before now?"

"Do you really want to know why boy?" Teague asked in all seriousness, ignoring Jack's apparent anger. It was slightly unnerving to Jack how stoic, and cryptic his father was being, he didn't like it.

"Yes, of course I do. What a stupid question!" Jack barked.

"How much do you remember 'bout yer mother?" Teague asked, and Jack suddenly lost all of his anger, and he could feel the color leave his face.

* * *

**A/N How's that? lol. Well, my only hope is that at least one person enjoyed it lol. Please review with any and all comments, questions, suggestions, or critiques. **

**Btw, thanks for reading this far! **

**Also, I am fairly certain about the next chapter so I should be able to update sooner than before. :) **


	34. Chapter 38

**A/N Well, at the risk of sounding like a broken record (or would it be typewriter since I'm not actually speaking?) lol, anyways, YAY for the next chapter! I was looking forwards to writing this chapter, so I hope it turned out alright. It's longer than I had originally intended it to be, but I didn't really want to cut it up so that's that, its just going to be long, lol. I guess just try not to fall asleep whilst reading it lol. ;)**

**Thank you for the reviews on last chapter, lol, they were a joy to read, as always. :) **

**Also, just so no one is confused, the POV switched back again. It picks up where the chapter before last left off (Just incase you forgot, or were, in fact, confused). Please enjoy :)**

* * *

"Here, sit down. Do either of you want a drink?" Elizabeth offered. Cristina had fallen quickly asleep on the sofa, while the others moved to the dining room to talk.

"No thank you" Angelica murmured as she sat down across from Elizabeth.

"What about you there?" Elizabeth asked Aaron who was awkwardly standing in the doorway.

"Uh, no thanks. I actually have to get back to the ship." He said grudgingly. "Before I go...here, it's from Will" He handed her the letter Will had given him.

"From Will? Thank you." She took it anxious to read it.

"I best be getting back there, b'fore Will gets upset. I wish you luck Angelica, and tell Cristina I'll see her around, alright?"

"Sure, good luck to you as well, you and Will have quite the journey ahead of you" Angelica replied still upset that she wasn't going with them.

With that Aaron nodded before he turned and left, shutting the front door behind him.

"What do you mean? Where are they going?" Elizabeth shifted her attention back to Angelica. "And...where's Jack?"

"They are headed to Shipwreck Cove" Angelica said coldly. "Will probably explained in his letter. The way I acted, he didn't have a chance to tell me his whole travel plan. But he probably wouldn't have told me anyways"

"Oh…" Elizabeth was surprised to hear that of Will, but then again there had been times when he had lied to her as well. She carefully opened the letter.

It read:

'_To My Dearest Elizabeth, _

_It has only been a few days, and already I miss being around you and Alexander. I hope you both are well. I am afraid I must ask a favor of you. Could you please allow Angelica and her friend Cristina to stay with you for at least a few days? I know you will, so thank you in advance. To keep this explanation short; a series of unfortunate events led to the separation of Jack and Angelica. I would suggest being careful when approaching this subject with her. Also, you have probably already noticed Cristina is slightly injured. Don't ask...it was only an accident. As for me, I made Jack a promise, and now I have to go save him from the peril he faces on board the Queen Anne's Revenge under the tyranny of Captain Barbossa. I'm sure you remember him. I only have a little idea what he is up to, but it can't be good. Just don't let them leave for at least three days from the time you get this, so they don't do anything stupid, and also so I can keep my promise to Jack. I am sailing for Shipwreck Cove, and then who knows. You don't how much I miss you, and how grateful I am. Thank you my darling. _

_You have my love, as does Alexander. _

_Until next time. _

_-Captain William Turner _

_PS: Hide the rum_.'

"Jack was captured by Barbossa, who must be ancient by now, and is being carted off to Shipwreck Cove? Is that right?"

"Yeah, thats about right" She looked away.

"Why? What happened between you? Jack seemed the happiest he has ever been when he was around you" Elizabeth recalled. Angelica glanced back at her with a cold expression. "What happened?" Will warned her to be delicate with this subject, but she didn't really give a damn, she just wanted to know.

"It's a long story." Angelica said not wanting to get into it.

Elizabeth could see that Angelica didn't want to talk about it, but she wasn't going to give up just yet.

"It was only like a week or two ago! How could it be that long? Just tell me." Elizabeth really wanted to know.

"You wouldn't possibly be able to stay awake to hear it all at this hour, nor I to tell it. Perhaps tomorrow" Angelica didn't have any intention of explaining at that moment.

"Fine. You can sleep in the spare bedroom. Come on follow me upstairs, but be quiet cause Alex is sleeping." She said. "He'll be so excited to see you again. He hasn't stopped talking about you, Jack, ghosts and pirates since you left."

Angelica followed Elizabeth upstairs.

"I'm sorry, that must get quite annoying"

"Oh, not at all. He hasn't been this happy in a while. As long as he grows up to be a gentleman, he can talk and play pirates all he wants. Here's the room"

"Thank you"

"You know, I don't know what happened between you, but I expect to hear about it tomorrow morning, no excuses" Elizabeth said clearly. "Good night"

"Good night" With that Angelica carefully shut the door and immediately threw off her coat and boots.

She crawled into the bed. It felt great. She hadn't laid in a bed that soft in a long time, and granted how long her day had been, she had no problem falling asleep.

* * *

She rolled over, not wanting to get up. She opened her eyes to see cracks of light shining through the curtains.

There was a knock at the door. Why? She was so comfortable, but she got up anyways to see who it was.

"Good morning miss Angelica" Alex said sweetly smiling and bowing before her.

"Good morning Alex. What time is it?"

"It's half past ten. Mum said it's time for breakfast."

"Thank you." She walked past him, and he followed her.

"Um...miss Angelica? Can you please not tell mum that I woke you up? She told me not to but I didn't want you to miss breakfast"

"Thank you for thinking of me. Don't worry, I wont tell her, I prefer not to sleep in anyways."

"Thank you miss"

They got down to the dining room. The table was set with an array of different foods; pancakes, eggs and bacon, and several differents fruits. Alex took a seat at the table, but Angelica found Elizabeth who was still in the kitchen.

"Good morning, do you need help with anything?" Angelica was not used to doing nothing.

"Good morning" Elizabeth said cheerfully. "Not at all. You are my guest, go ahead and get started on breakfast. I'll be over in a few minutes I have just a few more things to tidy up."

Angelica nodded and went to take a seat across from Alex who was already digging into a stack of pancakes.

Normally she didn't have breakfast, it wasn't a luxury she was accustomed to, having spent so much time on a ship. She probably would have been fine with just a piece of fruit, but she didn't want to offend Elizabeth, so she took a little of everything.

After a few minutes, Elizabeth came in and sat next to Alex.

"Mum, what are we doing today?" Alex asked in between bites of pancake.

Elizabeth glanced at Angelica. "Not a whole lot. I suppose we will have to go shopping. And I shall have to look at Cristina's wound later"

Alex nodded and went back to eating. No one said another word for a few minutes.

"Miss Angelica, why are you here?" Alex asked rather suddenly.

"Oh, Alex, she's just visiting. She needed a place to stay" Elizabeth quickly answered him.

"Ok." He allowed. "But miss Angelica, how long are you staying?"

"I…" Angelica started but was interrupted by Elizabeth.

"As long as she needs to Alex"

"Cool"

"I actually probably shouldn't stay another night. There are things I need to do" Angelica lied. She actually hadn't decided what she was going to do now. She was still mad at Jack and wasn't sure what to do. The thought of trying to find him had crossed her mind, but she didn't know if that was what she really wanted.

"Nonsense, you are staying here at least until tomorrow" Elizabeth said remembering what Will had asked of her in his letter. "After tomorrow, if you must leave, you may. I only suggest you stay so your friend has a better chance to heal."

"Okay, but not a day longer. I don't want to be a burden on you"

"You aren't a problem Angelica. It's nice to have some company here."

"Miss Angelica, what happened to your friend? Was she in a sword fight? Was it awesome? Did you watch?" Alex cut in, sounding a little bit too excited.

"Yes she was fighting someone. Someone who wasn't thinking clearly. Someone who had no reason to get mad at her. Someone who didn't mean to hurt her" Angelica said sadly.

Elizabeth figured it out, but Alex hadn't caught on.

"Who was she fighting?" He was curious.

"That's enough Alex" Elizabeth warned.

"No, it's alright." She looked towards Alex. "She was fighting me"

"But why? Why...why did you hurt her?" He didn't understand and he appeared to be slightly horrified.

"It was an accident. I wasn't thinking clearly" She explained. With that his demeanor relaxed again.

"Oh...miss Angelica?"

"Yes?"

"Where's your boyfriend?"

"Alexander!" Elizabeth snapped, appalled at her young son.

"Excuse me?" Angelica didn't know what to say to that.

"You know, where's Jack?"

"Alexander Turner, enough with the questions"

"No, Elizabeth it's alright" Angelica could see the curiosity in Alex's eyes. "Jack and I had a falling out. He's out sailing; helping a very bad man look for some treasure"

"Treasure? What kind of treasure?" He sounded thoroughly entranced. That's right, forget Jack, and focus on the treasure, she thought.

"A very powerful treasure, told to give someone immeasurable power over the wind and tides." Alex's eyes widened, and Elizabeth too became curious. But Alex snapped out of it.

"Wait a second...what do you mean you and Jack had a falling out? Is it because you didn't trust him with your problems again? Or because you got closer to someone else than you did to him?" Damn, she was sure the treasure would take his mind off that part of what she said.

"Alexander, what did I tell you?" Elizabeth said sternly.

"Stop asking her questions" He said glumly. "But mother, Jack is my friend, and I want to know what happened. I don't want him to be sad or mad"

"Neither do I, but pestering miss Angelica about it wont help anyone"

"Fine, I wont ask anymore questions right now...if she answers that one? Agreed?"

Elizabeth was about to say no, but Angelica spoke first.

"Deal, would you mind repeating the question?" Anything to get off this subject as fast as possible. If that meant answering this one question so she wouldn't have to deal with a million others, she would.

"Why did you and Jack fight?"

"There are too many reasons I suppose. We fought, and argued. He promised never to leave, but once again I should have expected it. I would have to say there was a lack of trust, and in the end he just didn't trust me enough..." She trailed off, tears welling in her eyes. Both Elizabeth and Alex had been listening intently.

"But why..." Alex obviously didn't understand but he was quickly interrupted by Elizabeth.

"Alexander, why don't you go play, maybe miss Angelica will talk more later" She could tell it was getting difficult for Angelica to talk about it.

"Ok, thank you miss Angelica" He got up and cleared his place before he ran upstairs.

"Sorry about him, he's very curious. I should have sent him upstairs a while ago"

"No, You can't blame him. He's adorable. He's so much like Will." Angelica said blinking away the tears in her eyes before they had a chance to roll down her cheeks.

"Yeah, I suppose. You know, he is the only thing keeping me sane...otherwise I don't think I could have lived without Will for this long." She sighed, remembering all the times she wished he was there with her. "At first I didn't like the idea of having a child, and raising him on my own without Will being here. But now, I can't imagine a day without him. What about you?"

"I'm sorry?"

"Have you ever thought about kids?"

"I don't think my life at the moment is ideal for a child. I haven't the time, the money, the resources, or even a husband at that. Eventually I would like a family I suppose"

"What does Jack...uh, nevermind. Did you two ever talk about it?" She thought she better tread lightly if she ever wanted to get the whole story out of her.

"uh..he's told me it wouldn't be a bad thing, but we haven't really talked about it. Apparently we couldn't even get passed the marriage step."

"Did he ask you?" Elizabeth found it surprisingly easy to picture Jack and Angelica together, but she hadn't ever thought of Jack as the married type.

"Yeah...twice" This was really getting into what she didn't want to talk about, but Elizabeth was not going to let her get away with that.

"And?"

"I said no the first time, but that was years ago. The second time, he proposed the night before we took you back to shore, and I accepted, thinking he actually meant it."

"Why didn't you guys say anything? I could have had the ceremony planned for you two already. I can just picture it now, it will be so spectacular and…" Elizabeth was getting excited now, completely ignoring the last part of what Angelica had said. She didn't have a sister, and she didn't get a chance to plan her own wedding, so she saw this as her chance.

"It's a good thing we didn't actually" Angelica mumbled. She saw Elizabeth's questioning glance and answered before she had a chance to ask. "He called it off"

"You're kidding! What ever for?!" Elizabeth was dumbfounded. "How could he?! You deserve better than that!"

"Maybe I don't. He didn't even have the nerve to tell me himself. I must just not be good enough for him." She muttered.

"Don't say that. At the moment it's the other way around. He did mention his feelings for you at some point I imagine yes?"

"On a few occasions, but rarely when we were without the prospects of being killed"

"So he has told you he cares, and he did ask you to marry him."Elizabeth was still not convinced. "I'll agree he's a lying bastard, but I don't believe he would do that to you. If he didn't tell you himself, who told you?"

"Will and Cristina did"

"I could have guessed as much. So what really happened after I left? Where did you go, what did you do?" Elizabeth was going to get to the bottom of this. There was no way she would believe Jack to be so cruel. "Actually, before you tell me, would you mind helping me clean up? Then we can sit down and have some tea or something."

"Sure"

They cleared the table and did all the dishes before Elizabeth made a steaming hot pot of tea.

Cristina was sleeping in the living room still so they sat across from each other back in the dining room.

Angelica didn't really have a reason not to tell her. She explained pretty much everything except for a few minor details, from Will's depressed temper tantrum to when they found Cristina, to the point when she was dragged off Barbossa's ship. She repeated almost everything Jack, Will, and Cristina had told her. The whole time Elizabeth was listening as carefully as she could to find any reason for Jack's rash decision. By the end of it, Angelica was practically in tears. Elizabeth passed her some tissues, which Angelica accepted gratefully.

"So wait, Will and Cristina told you, that Jack told them, that he would call of the wedding should he not go with you?"

"Yeah" She murmured as she dried her eyes.

"That doesn't make sense. If you said that Jack told you he would see you again, why would he bother calling it off? If he knew he would see you again, why not marry you then? And if it really was his intention to break up with you again, why not tell you himself? And why..." She had a lot of problems with the whole story, it didn't make sense to her.

"I don't know, because he's a heartless wretch who doesn't give a damn about anyone or anything but his _precious_ ship. Not to mention he's not the most straight forward person in the world" Angelica snapped.

"Very true, but I find it hard to believe that he would change his mind that suddenly. Was there any reason he would have been angered over something else? Like long term problems between you?"

"Look Elizabeth, ever since he left my life the first time there has been a lack of trust between us. But any tension there is now was caused by him in the first place! So don't even think about saying this is my fault." She said sharply.

"Well then, it doesn't seem like he has a logical reason." She could tell it was still a sore subject. "We'll figure it out eventually. In, the meantime, would you mind showing me the ship and the doll?" Elizabeth was curious to see the tiny Pearl as well as the doll that was so powerful.

"I'll be right back" She went upstairs and returned a minute later with both the doll and bottle in hand.

"Wow, how did it get in here again?" Elizabeth carefully studied the bottled ship.

"My father cast a spell on it."

"And wait...is that Jack?"

"I don't…"

"Sorry, I meant Jack the monkey. He belonged to Barbossa. Pesky little devil" Elizabeth said, menacingly glaring at the miniature monkey.

"Oh…uh, here's the doll." Angelica said nonchalantly handing her the doll. "Don't bother being careful with it, if it kills him, he deserves it."

Elizabeth look up, skeptical of how much Angelica actually meant that.

"Oh...it looks just like him. He even has his cute red bandana. A few more scars than I remember but, hey, he must have gone on quite the adventure with you" She almost smiled at how close it was to how he actually was. "I couldn't hurt Jack. I owe him everything."

"What do you mean? Jack isn't the selfless type."

"Oh, you're wrong. I owe him my life, Will's life, and respectively Alexander's life. If not for him, we wouldn't be here."

"Right…" Angelica rolled her eyes.

"Years ago, he could have let me drown, but he didn't. He risked his life knowing that the royal navy would catch him for sure. And Will, Jack had the choice to be immortal or save him. He chose to save Will, even if it meant losing his chance of living forever. He even forgave me, or at least I think he did, for leaving him to die. I mean, I did help save him so we're even now...anyways..." Elizabeth explained, remembering those fateful days when Jack had saved them. "And of course I don't need to explain why Alexander wouldn't be here" She chuckled, but frowned when she noticed Angelica's stoic expression.

"Oh come now, don't tell me he has never done anything for you. If I didn't know better I'd say he would sail to the ends of the earth for you, sacrificing himself to save you, or at least thats how it seemed to me"

"He has saved me on several occasions. In a similar way to how he saved Will; by giving up his own opportunity for immortality to save my life." Angelica sighed. "Unfortunately by killing my own father in the process."

"That's awful. I'm sure he wouldn't have chosen that had it not been you're life at stake" Elizabeth inferred.

"Perhaps not, but then again maybe he just enjoys making me suffer" She said. "For all of the time I have known him, he has only ever shown me how selfish he can be, and how empty his words are."

"But can you imagine your life had you not met him?"

"Yes, had I not met him, I probably would be a sister at the convent where I grew up in Spain. Not once setting foot on a ship, nor sailing out to sea. Not having to endure the heartache of men, nor dealing with the drama that comes with it. Not risking my life almost everyday, not ever finding my father. Yes sometimes I do imagine what my life might have been had I not met Jack" She said, unenthused.

"And I thought my life before I met Jack was boring. If I hadn't met Jack, I would either be two places. Either dead, or married to James Norrington. In which case I have no idea what my life would have been. My father may still be alive too, I have no way to know. But I do know that I almost miss the days of adventure, full of Jack's crazy plans, great escapes, daring sword fights with the sound of cannons firing, out on the open ocean." She was almost lost in a daydream. "But think of everything you would have missed out on had you not met him. For one thing, love. You would not have known what it was to love and be loved by someone. Granted you wouldn't have experienced loss either, but the pain that comes with love is proof that the love was real"

"It wasn't worth it. I have spent too much of my time trying to get over him."

"Then don't. Look Angelica. Everyone needs _someone who can stand alone, who finds the way instead of being shown. Somebody with confidence who's strong enough to be hit more than once. You need somebody who likes themself, who lives for life and never calls for help. You need someone who loves you too before you ask_. Think of one person you know that fits that description perfectly"

"Jack...but I am tired of being treated like I can't take care of myself, of being told what I can and can't do, and being left alone time after time"

"Have you told him that?"

"No, but I won't get the chance, not that he would care anyways, I mean really…"

"I don't believe that, not for a second, there has to be a reason…" Elizabeth actually had an idea who would be able to explain this for her.

Just at that moment, Alex came running down the stairs.

"Hello again, mum and miss Angelica."

"Hello Alex" Elizabeth smiled. "Having fun? What is it?"

"Yeah, but I was wondering...if...if miss Angelica would play pirates with me? And maybe if she would tell me about one of her adventures"

"I don't know if your mother would approve of such things" Angelica said hoping Elizabeth would agree.

"I actually don't mind, go ahead. Just be careful. It will give me a chance to clean up some things, and also to look at Cristina's bandages." That was just what she needed in order to figure some things out.

"Come miss Angelica, lets go play" Alex said happily tugging on her arm.

"I'm afraid I only respond to Captain" She demanded playfully since she figured she wouldn't be able to get out of it, but she didn't mind that much. It would take her mind off everything for a while.

Elizabeth chuckled at the expression that overcame her sons face at that.

"What? No! I'm the captain!" Alex argued.

"Oh, yes of course Captain Turner, my apologies"

He pulled out a paper with lines scattered on it. "Here be a map. Now to find the treasure!" He said in an overly exaggerated accent.

"Have fun" Elizabeth said as Angelica was practically dragged out of the room.

She cleared the table once more before she headed into the living room where Cristina was laying. Elizabeth shook her lightly waking her up.

"Good day, how are you feeling?" Elizabeth asked softly.

"My side hurts, but besides that I'm well"

"You need stitches...I can do that for you if you want?" Elizabeth offered.

"Sure, as if I'm not in enough pain already" Cristina said sarcastically. "Will isn't the best doctor"

"I would assume not. Roll over onto your other side, will you?"

Cristina did as she was told. "Where's Angelica at?"

"She's out occupying my son"

"Oh...I assume she told you why we are here?" Cristina asked nervously; she didn't like needles.

"Yes, she did" Elizabeth said.

"Ouch"

"I have a question though" Elizabeth said as she almost finished stitching up her wound.

"What is...ow...that?"

"Why are you lying to her?"

"What?"

"All done...when you told her that Jack broke up with her again?"

"The first time I don't know, I guess I just didn't trust Jack" Cristina said as she sat up again.

"And what about the second?"

"Ugh, where are you going with this?"

"I don't believe Jack would do that, so should I assume that's what happened, yes?"

"You mustn't tell her!"

"What did Jack really say?"

"Nothing" Cristina said quietly.

"What did Will promise Jack?" She was determined to know what her husband was up to.

"He promised to not let Angelica go after Jack under any circumstance. So did I."

"You lied to her, so you could keep your promises to Jack. And she said you were her friend!?"

"It was Will's idea! I didn't want to! You have to believe me!"

"Oh, I believe you. I may not have known her as long as you, but you better believe that she is going to hear about this. As will Will. I can't believe him, what was he thinking?!"

"NO! You can't tell her!"

"Well, I can't just let her sit around here and feel awful about herself can I? No"

"You could…" Cristina started before she was quickly interrupted.

"No, I couldn't, because I know that if that same thing happened to me I would want someone to tell me rather than let me just go on believing the lies told by those closest to me"

She got up and looked out the window into her backyard. Angelica was showing Alex how to use a compass to read his map. He was so happy, pointing and marching off around the yard.

Elizabeth smiled at that. He reminded her of Jack, in the way he would just go in whatever direction his compass pointed. Angelica looked almost happy for a moment or two there as well. Elizabeth wasn't sure if she was really going to go through with telling her, but when she saw them playing out there, she knew she had too.

"Elizabeth, please, I beg you. Do not tell her" Cristina said.

"Have you ever loved someone?" She asked distractedly.

"uh..I suppose...so what?"

"Do you know what it's like to feel worthless in their eyes? To feel abandoned by that person, and be left with that feeling like you don't know what you're going to do without them for the rest of your life?"

"No I have not gone through that"

"What about her?" She said still looking out the window. "That's what she's going through right now, and you don't even care that it's partly your fault."

She turned around to face Cristina who was watching her. " Well, I have. Too many days I have lost to feeling alone. If I can help it, I won't make her go through that too. Eventually, I am going to tell her" She said just as Angelica and Alex came back inside.

"Mother look what miss Angelica gave me!" He said with so much excitement and enthusiasm holding up a small brass compass.

"Thats very nice Alex, did you say thank you?"

He turned back to Angelica. "Thank you"

"You're very welcome" She smiled at him before he nodded and ran up to his room.

"Thanks, for playing with him" Elizabeth said.

"I didn't know you liked children Angie" Cristina said from the other side of the room.

"Oh, good you're awake. Uh...I don't mind children, they can be fun, or a lot of trouble" She said as she sat down on the sofa next to Cristina.

"Either of you care for a drink?" Elizabeth offered.

"No thank you" Angelica and Cristina replied simultaneously.

"Alright then, there is something I wanted to tell you." Cristina glared at Elizabeth, who seemed unphased.

"Sure, what is it?"

"Uh…" Elizabeth couldn't quite make herself say it. "I have been wanting to take a trip somewhere, perhaps Tortuga. For some time now I never had any reason to go, or anyone to go with, but I wondered if both of you would like to accompany me?" She lied, but at least if they went they would be closer to finding Jack which was her real reason for going.

"I don't think that would be a good idea" Cristina spoke up, knowing what Elizabeth was trying to do.

"Why? I mean I don't particularly like Tortuga, but it could be fun. Think about it, just us for about a day on a ship, then when we arrive we could grab a few drinks and spend a day at the beach" Elizabeth countered. "What do you think Angelica?"

"I don't see why not, but we would need a ship, and what about Alex, he shouldn't come with us"

"I don't know about this, we could just _walk _down to the local pub, get some drinks and _walk_ down to the local beach and back in an afternoon. We don't actually have to leave Port Royal."

"But how adventurous is that? Besides, there is more variety in liquor at Tortuga, plus this place is so formal, women like us can't do anything here" Elizabeth argued.

"Tortuga is more dangerous though" Cristina warned.

"Oh certainly, but that's why Alex can stay at his friends house I'm sure. And we all know how to handle a sword I assume. As for a ship…" Elizabeth smiled deviously. "Being Pirate King, does have it's perks. I happen to have a ship still docked in the harbor...under a different name of course."

"Wait...you were the Pirate King?!" Cristina was shocked.

"I '_Am_' currently, and I have dear ol' Jack to thank for that" Elizabeth smirked. "So, it's settled then, we shall leave tomorrow evening"

* * *

**A/N Firstly, thank you for reading, and I hope you liked it. Feel free to leave a comment, critique, suggestion, etc...if you want to ;) Secondly, like I said before, this chapter is really long. So after looking at it for several hours, I may have missed some major mistakes so, I guess just let me know if there is anything unforgivable that I missed. **

**Also, I have been waiting for a long time to use these lyrics, cause they pretty much describe Jack perfectly, (in my opinion), and cause I just like the song in general. Tell me, did I use them well? I don't usually use lyrics, but I thought I'd try it. **

** I used a few lyrics from the song: **

**Run For Your Life **

**by Matt Cardle**

**"**You need somebody who likes themself  
Who lives for life and never calls for help  
You need somebody to walk you back  
Someone who loves you too before you ask

You're worth more, you're worth more than this  
You can take a leap without the risk  
There's no time, there's no time for this  
Take your love and start again

So run for your life, run for your life  
If you leave me behind, you'll get there in time

You need someone who can stand alone  
Who finds the way, instead of being shown  
Somebody with confidence  
Who's strong enough to be hit more than once

You'll find more, you'll find more than this  
Take the world that's at your fingertips  
Don't waste time, don't waste time with this  
Take your love and start again

So run for your life, run for your life  
If you leave me behind, you'll get there in time

Run, run and don't look back again  
Run, run, one day you'll understand  
I'm not, no, I'm not who you think I am

So run for your life (run and don't look back again, run and don't look back again)  
Run for your life (one day you'll understand, one day you'll understand)  
If you leave me behind, you'll get there in time

Run for your life, run for your life  
If you leave me behind, you'll get there in time**"**


	35. Chapter 39

**A/N Sorry for the delay, but for some reason I have trouble writing where Jack is the main character by himself. So, I finally come up with something, pretty far out there, so I don't know how your going to like it. It is kinda strange, and probably unexpected, but I hope you guys will like it. :) Thank you to user, ****FlightoftheStorm777, for their positive reviews. They are always a pleasure to read. *Also, check out her stories. They are amazing* **

**Also, thank you to everyone else who has read this far. **

**Please enjoy! :)**

* * *

He sat back in his chair and stared down his father. "How much am I expected to remember exactly?"

"I don't know, that's why I was askin Jackie. Ye were so young when she..." Jack knew his father to be emotionally stronger than him, but he could tell that this was hard for him to say.

"Ye, don't 'ave to say it." Jack said thoughtfully. "What does this 'ave to do with 'er anyways?"

"Do ye remember what 'appened to 'er?" That question made Jack really uncomfortable. He hadn't been there. It happened when he was a little over eleven years old, after he'd run away for the countless time. By the time he returned less than a year later, she was gone.

"You always tol' me she got sick, ain't that what 'appened?" Jack asked suspiciously.

"...Ye weren't here, ye ran away, don't ye remember that?"

"Aye, I was mad at mum for somethin"

"Do ya remember Captain Rinnegan?"

"Ye mean that sorry bastard who had eyes for her? Ain't that why I left?"

"I don't know what was goin on in yer head boy, but thats why she ain't here now"

"I-I don't understand, she got sick, she died of an illness" Jack stammered. He was confused, and he had never really gotten over his mother's death, it was still somewhat of a sore subject.

Teague looked away without answering.

"That's what you always said all those years! Now stop with the questions. What the bloody hell is this about and what in godsname does this have to do with the damn treasure!" Jack growled.

"It's why she's dead boy"

"Well go on then, ye better have a good explanation!" Jack seethed. He desperately tried to remember what happened, but he wasn't there and the last memory he had of his mother was not very pleasant, and he regretted it.

Only about three weeks after he'd run away, his mother had found him in Tortuga and begged him to come home. He would never forget that night, the last time he ever saw her. It sickened him to even think about it.

There was a violent storm. Standing under the awning outside a small pub in Tortuga with a bottle of rum in hand, he enjoyed watching the occasional drunk straggler stagger through the rain, and slip through the mud. The streets were mostly empty, and the pub was closed, but he was content to just be alone, that was, until a familiar voice called to him from nearby. _She _was _in a long black coat _that night, _waiting for _him _in the downpour outside. She _was yelling "_Baby come home" in a melody of tears._

All he remembered was, "_Baby, come home". _Her words stung. There was no way he was going to go back with her. Not after he caught her with alone with Captain Rinnegan.

++He unwaveringly refused to return with her and even went as far to say that he hated her. Eventually she apologized, turned and left. He was alone again but he felt uneasy. From where he was he had a pretty good view of the harbor, and even in the dark of night and the rain, the easily identifiable sails of her ship contrasted with the sky. He was angry, but he also felt guilty. He loved his mother and everything, but he was still mad at her. He watched and after a while he saw the sails gradually grow smaller and smaller as the ship left the harbor. After that night, he decided he would return home, but little did he know it would be too late. It took him longer than he expected due to problems that arose. As soon as he returned to Shipwreck Cove, he could tell something was wrong by the looks of pity he received from everyone he saw. Most everyone knew everyone else on the island, and although secrets could be kept, major events could not, including births, deaths, marriages, and so forth. He ended up running all the way to his father's office. He had a bad feeling. By the time he got there, his vision was blurred and his eyes were red. He burst into the office where his father was sitting alone behind his desk. He demanded to know what had happened and where his mother was. Teague merely said she had died of an illness before revealing her now shrunken head. He did nothing at all to console Jack in the slightest. Angered and upset, Jack stormed out of the building and back to the docks, at which he boarded the next ship and didn't return for months.

"She was murdered Jackie." Teague said tearing Jack away from his memories.

"By who?! I swear I'll kill 'em!"Jack snapped. "And why the hell did ye lie to me?!"

Teague ignored his question. "That treasure has evil properties, turning even the most respectable men into monsters. Ye can't control it. Not even those who posses the ability to find it."

"That doesn't make any sense! What's the point of bein able to find it if ye can't use it?!" He snarled.

"That was part of the agreement made with the sorceress. The two men would be able to find the treasure, but they would need to be in possession of the…" Teague started to explain, but was quickly interrupted by Jack.

"Enough of the treasure damnit! I demand ye tell me what really happened! What. Happened. To. My. Mother!" Jack got to his feet and slammed his fist on the desk. They glared at each other, but Teague didn't answer.

Jack backed off and sat back down.

"I already tol' ye she was killed. Maybe ye need to get some sleep er somethin." Teague said coldly.

"Yeah, well maybe you shouldn't be so bloody cryptic all the damn time!" Jack retorted.

"Fine, ye want somethin straight forward, do ye? Listen closely then boy. Forget this treasure, Jackie. Get away from Barbossa. Maybe get yerself a girl. And keep away from things ye don't understand" Teague said strictly.

"I already have a gir...uh, a _great_ idea. Yep, a great idea." Jack recovered his slip up, but that didn't stop Teague from giving him a curious look. Jack smiled but he knew Teague had caught what he hadn't meant to say.

"Jackie, who was she?"

"I forget, were ye acquainted with Angelica?"

"Jack, tell me ye didn't get yerself mixed up with that poor girl again"

"Ugh...Don't worry. I am fairly certain it is over between us by now" Teague gave him a quizzical look.

"Jackie, what did ye do this time? Didn't I teach ye anythin 'bout treatin women well?"

"Sure, if ye can call it 'teaching me'. I didn't hurt her if thats what ye mean. Not physically anyways, but she has been an emotional wreck since...ugh...since I can't remember"

"Ye don't seem to upset 'bout it. That's a first, what she do to ye?"

"Oh ye know, only tried to kill me a few times. That's 'bout it." he said nonchalantly.

"So what Jackie? That's it. Ye left her, _again _cause of that. Do ye luv her?"

"Ohhh, no. We are Not getting into this." Jack said uncomfortably trying to change the subject as a fast as possible. "I know what you're doing. I'm not so easily fooled. Ye tried to get away with that pathetic explanation. Now. I will ask again. Who killed mum?"

"Want some rum Jackie?"

"No, stop that! Just tell me!"

"I killed her! " Teague growled. "Are ye happy boy?!"

"Come on, ye expect me to believe that?!" Jack didn't believe this. "I don't believe you. Look at me and tell me you did"

Teague looked straight into his eyes, and Jack felt sick. "I killed Scarlett Sparrow, ye believe me now Jackie?!"

He was too traumatized to say anything. He tried his hardest to not look back as he left Teague just sitting there. Rum, he should have accepted his offer. He needed rum. Where could he get rum at this hour? Nowhere. Second best to rum is sleep, but he doubted if he would be able to sleep now, he was too angry. He just wanted to be alone, and to get some fresh air. He made his way outside, but he was very careful not to be seen by anyone especially Barbossa. He couldn't bare to think of what he might do to anyone he came across. His safest bet since he wanted to be alone was to walk up to the cliff over looking the bay. It would be at least a half hours hike, but at least he could do whatever without having to explain anything to anyone. It was dark, but he knew the way; as a child he would go there to just sit and observe the peaceful scenery. Other times he would go there at night to watch the stars. He usually never came across anyone else, and if he hadn't then, why would he now. On this night the sky was clear, and the moon was bright in the sky.

The whole walk, his blood was boiling and he knew he was angry, but the distantly familiar scenery calmed him slightly. Although, it was too bad he didn't have that undead monkey to shoot, cause he still wanted to shoot something. Even after everything he had been through in his life, the sea monsters, cursed treasures, the undead and so forth, he had not anticipated that his mother had been killed, least of all by his own father. He had been lied to before, by Angelica, Will, Elizabeth, almost everyone had lied to him at least once, even his father, but this; this was unforgivable. And he thought he would never forgive Angelica for everything; he actually almost wished she was there. As much as he hated to admit it, he wished he wasn't always alone. If she were here they may be arguing, but at least it would be a distraction from the painful truth.

He reached the top of the cliff, and he could only see part of the massive structure that was ShipWreck Cove, through the haze and fog. Sitting down and pulling out his compass, he had no idea where to go after this, and no idea what he wanted. He wasn't sure if he should go after the treasure anyways, or not. But if he didn't, what would he do? He could always just set sail somewhere and not look back, but then he would need a ship. His hopefully was still in the hands of Gibbs, and who knows where he was. Probably drinking a rum in a pub down at Tortuga, but then again he had been with Will, so maybe not.

The needle spun wildly, it would stop in front of him briefly before shifting to point behind him and it would repeat as if it were confused. How could it be confused? That stupid thing should know even if I don't, Jack thought before lazily setting it next to him.

He laid back and just gazed at the stars overhead. He didn't want to think about anything so he just laid there.

In all of his years of sailing, he had never stopped to just watch the stars from the deck. He imagined it would just as beautiful, or even more so without any lights near to take away from that of the night sky. He thought about it some more, and decided that he would make a point to take some time to relax and just look up at the sky sometime. His mind drifted some more, and his eyelids grew heavy, after a few minutes he was in a light sleep.

When he awoke only a few hours later, he felt a strange object next to him. It felt like a person. He opened his eyes and sat up quickly trying to determine his surroundings. He was still on the cliff overlooking the harbor, his compass was still beside him, and he hadn't lost anything. He looked over to the woman laying next to him. She was hooded and hadn't woken up from his sudden movement. She was probably a little shorter than himself, but he couldn't see her face. He got up, careful not to wake her. He moved to the other side of her and carefully lifted the hood from over her head. It was...it was her...that's not possible. Apart from a new hairstyle and some different clothes, she looked exactly the same.

He snatched his compass and peered down at the dial. It rotated from the woman before him, to some unseeable place off in the distance. That didn't make sense.

Generally he wouldn't wake a sleeping woman, as he found they are much like dogs and aren't very friendly, so he just sat next to her.

After a few minutes she rolled over and seemed to notice his absence and started mumbling things he didn't understand.

"Oi, wake up" He shook her shoulder gently.

She blinked open her eyes and gazed up at him. He returned her look of puzzlement. Her eyes widened and she jumped up and quickly pulled him into a tight hug. He was in shock, but he hardly ever passed up a hug, especially to her, so he squeezed her tightly back even though he was confused.

"It's so good to see you after all these years. You don't know how I've missed you, Jack" She spoke with a soft spanish accent.

"It's only been a few days, luv." At that she shoved him away from her, and just as quickly, pulled her hood over her head and turned away from him without a word.

"Oi, what was that for?" Jack asked confused. "An' how the hell did you get here?!"

"I-I shouldn't have done that. I shouldn't have come here yet." She said, but she didn't turn to face him.

"Damn right, but that did not answer my question. What are ye doin here, I thought I made it clear to Will to keep ye away from me." Jack had asked for a distraction and he guessed this was it. "Turn and answer me"

She did as he said and turned back to face him although she kept her head low concealing her face.

"You're a smart man Jack, how do you think I got here?" She spoke quickly, and took a step towards him finally raising her eyes to meet his. "Will doesn't control me, and neither do you"

He looked back at her with intensity and he wasn't sure if this was some kind of a trick.

"I don't know, but ye shouldn't be here, Angelica."

"Just call me Angie. And why shouldn't I be here? You're here aren't you?"

"Because I left you with Will not but two days or so ago. So actually...ye can't be here. How did ye really get here? And since when do you like nicknames?"

"No, Jack I'm not really here, rather 'your' Angelica is not really here, but I am. And as a matter of fact, I have always loved your nicknames for me, I just never told you"

"Wait wait wait...my Angelica? Then who are you? Tell me you're not from the future. Please please tell me that is not what's 'appenin here" He wasn't sure what that would mean, except that it would be more trouble than he wanted. "And if you're from the future, how did it make sense to sleep right next to me, since you're not 'my' Angelica?!"

"It's been a long time Jack. Longer than you know or could comprehend. I missed you. Besides, you didn't seem to mind when I asked you, and yes Jack. You do talk in your sleep."

He gaped at her audacity but realized he didn't have anything to say in response to that.

"Fine, but of all the times to go back to, you shouldn't have come here. I don't have any need to know the future at this moment."

"What happened to your curiosity?" She expected a different reaction than that, perhaps more surprised or something. "I would have expected you to have many questions, oh I don't know like, about _our_ future together, about what you do with the rest of your life, or even how you die?"

Jack shook his head and sat down again, now really wishin for some rum.

"No, not now, I don't need this. Some distraction was all I asked. I didn't want another...ugh, what did I do to deserve this?" He covered his face in his hands. "For all I know, _we _have no future together; I end up doing something incredibly stupid, and dyin b'cause of it. There we go, I told my own fortune, so why else are ye here?"

"I'm here to help you." She sat next to him. "I'm sorry about your mother, Jack"

"How did you…?"

"I'm from the future remember. Although it took you a long time to actually tell me. The next time I saw you, about a day and half or so from now, you seemed only mad at me. We had a huge fight, but thankfully Elizabeth was there to talk some sense into us. But since then, I did end up finding out why you were more upset than usual"

"Who's upset? I'm fine" He got up, shoved his compass in his pocket and started walking away. "B'sides, I don't know that I can trust you"

"Jack, let me see your compass."

"Fine" He grudgingly turned and tried to hand her the compass, but she didn't take it. She only opened it.

"Great, now what?"

"Don't be an idiot Jack. Look at where it points to."

"It's broken" He said glancing down at the spinning needle.

"No, it's merely confused, much like yourself. But, you still care for me, or her. Therefore you must trust me a little."

"Not really"

"What can I do to make you trust me then?"

"At the moment, not a whole lot...Go on and tell me something...something only she would know"

"Barbossa cut my initial into your chest to get me to give up information about the treasure you are after right now."

He rolled his eyes."So what happens if you two meet? Does the world end or something?"

"No, it would just be very confusing, it is probably better if that didn't happen, Jack."

"So what now?" He said roughly.

"You still seem upset, what's wrong?"

"Too much. I just found out my father murdered my mother. Angelica, or you or whichever, tried to intentionally kill me for no good reason. I somewhat agreed to help find this treasure for my old enemy. Once again my ship is gone, and I have no idea what to do now savvy?"

"I-I'm sorry Jack. I-you-we...uh, my father made me do it. You were the only person who I thought was capable of helping us."

"No matter. Thankfully for you that is the least of my worries, as it never occurred."

"About your mother though, you need to resolve that before we leave"

"You expect me to just sit down and have a chat with my _father_?! Maybe have a drink while we're at it?!"

"Sorry Jack. It is something you need to do to help you move on."

"Absolutely not. It doesnt matter." He had had enough of this so he just walked away.

After a few minutes, she jogged to catch up, and stopped right in front of him, making it quite clear that she wasn't done talking.

"Jack, I may not be from your time, and it may have been a few years since the last time I saw you, but I am still the same person who you know and love, who loves you too." She said taking a step towards him. "I know you, and I know how you deal with things. You will be miserable if you don't talk about it."

"Do not get me wrong, and do not make me repeat myself" He said coldly. "Maybe ye came back to the wrong time, or the wrong dimension or whatever. But understand this: that blasted four letter word has caused me far too much trouble in the past days. Not to say I do not care, it is complicated, I have too much to think about other than that at the moment. And I do not need to talk about anything"

"I'll go with you. If you want, but you need to know what happened, and why"

"Thanks, luv. But you're from the future, you must know. There we go problem solved. You can just tell me on our way out of here."

"No Jack, I wont. I do know, but you have to solve this yourself"

"Bye then" He said and continued walking.

"Hey! Don't you walk away from me! Where are you going?!" She called after him.

"I don't know, but it's away from you. Actually, I think Barbossa's ship is leaving port soon, it would be a pity if I were to miss it" He called back to her.

"So that's it? You're going to leave. Without knowing why your mother died, or what happened with the treasure? Can you live with that?"

He sighed and walked back up to her. " Don't look so upset, luv." He rolled his eyes in submission. "Come on then, lets get this over with" He muttered.

* * *

**A/N Well how was that for suprising. You know what though...if you have a suggestion *hint hint wink wink* leave a review. (even if you didn't like it tell me why) **

**Anyways, that chapter is finally over, so I will get started on the next one. The 'Angelica' focused chapters are easier to write for some reason, so it shouldn't take as long. :)**

**Also, the song reference: Jet Pack Blues by Fall Out Boy **

**It is such a good song. :)**


	36. Chapter 40

**A/N Well, you know what? Chapter 40! Wow, when I started this I never imagined making it this long, and it's not over! (Wait, why isn't it over? How did I ever drag it out to be this long? I have no idea lol)...so thank you for all of your support!**

**Well, I must have a very poor judgment of time, because with the lack of any significant events in this chapter it should have been done a while ago. Technically it kind of was, but I didn't like it. I tried to come up with something better, but it didn't happen, so we are left with this boring chapter. :( I could have and probably should have just done a time jump, but then everything would have gotten confusing...ah well the price we all pay I suppose. **

**Anyways, thanks to all who have reviewed, you are all amazing! Also in general, to those who have even read to this point, I thank you! **

**Enjoy this chapter, (if you don't fall asleep first, lol. The next chapter will definitely be more interesting. I think I can promise that ;) Hopefully) **

* * *

"I have to run to the bakery and a few other places to pick up and arrange a few things, Angelica would you come with me?" Elizabeth asked distractedly trying to find her coat on her way out the door. "And Cristina can you watch Alex for a few hours?"

"Actually, I think Angelica should stay with Alex. She's apparently better with children. I'll go with you" Cristina piped up.

"Na, he will be napping most of the time, and besides, you have to rest up for our trip."

"She's right. It's okay, it will only be a few hours before we're back." Angelica said.

"Great, let's go. Oh, and Cristina, can you make him some dinner too? We might be back late." Elizabeth said.

Angelica grabbed her coat, and slipped on her boots before quickly following Elizabeth outside.

It was early in the evening and the sun was partially obstructed by some clouds. It was fairly warm, and there were plenty of people milling about. They walked along the street, passing all manner of people, including the occasional navy officer. Their behavior and the looks they gave Angelica made her uncomfortable around them, but Elizabeth would just smile and nod as if everything in the world were perfect. They walked a ways further, until they came to a small shop. It was out of the way and seemed rather run down, borderline dilapidated.

"I thought we were going to the bakery" Angelica said curiously eyeing the old building.

"Well, we needed to stop here, and it was on the way anyways. Come on"

Angelica followed Elizabeth inside. There was sawdust and metal shavings all over the place, and it had a burnt smell to it. Angelica could tell it was a blacksmiths workshop. The place was really dirty. There was a donkey, a hearth with a smoldering fire, and swords all over the place. The walls were made of old wood and there was basically no floor; it was mostly covered in dirt and dust.

They at first they didn't see anyone, but they heard something crash in the back room of the place.

"Daniel?!" Called Elizabeth.

"Oi, May I help you?" Said someone from the back.

"Yes, if you don't mind, I would like to speak with you" Elizabeth said politely. There was no answer. "I'll be right back, I trust this guy, but apparently he's little busy" Elizabeth walked around into the back room leaving Angelica all alone.

"Oi, who gave you permission to come back here" Daniel said when he heard Elizabeth enter.

"I don't think I need permission" Elizabeth said bluntly.

"Ah Elizabeth, what a pleasant surprise. What are you doing here on this fine day? And who's that out there with you?" He asked peering out the door past her at Angelica.

"Angelica" He nodded. "I need you to assemble some of the old crew, between ten and fifteen of them, we depart in the morning"

"Sure thing, might I ask where we're goin?"

"Tortuga"

"Wh-?"

"Just because" She stated, not wanting to explain any further.

"Alright then?" He said uncertainly.

"She's why we're going." She felt almost bad that she didn't tell him, but she couldn't.

"Well, what am I supposed to tell the rest of the crew? That we're going on a vacation to Tortuga for no particular reason?" Elizabeth rolled her eyes and gave in. He was a good friend, she couldn't really lie to him.

"If you must know, we are looking for Sparrow" She almost whispered.

"Captain Jack? Is that where he's got to now?" Elizabeth had previously told him all about her past adventures with Jack and Will. "What do you need him again for?"

"Shh" She gave him a stern look.

"What?...alright, need to know then is it"

"Exactly. We'll be at the docks at six am sharp, have two of the guys meet us there. I expect the ship and rest of the crew to be ready to sail by then." She said changing the subject.

"Aye aye" He winked.

"Thanks again" She said on her way out, leaving him to his newly assigned task.

Angelica was curious about what was taking her, and she could only hear some of what they were saying. She was just messing with her hair when Elizabeth finally came back.

"So, how'd it go?"

"The ship and crew will be ready by six am tomorrow morning. We need to be at the docks by then." Elizabeth said as they left.

"Members of your crew work here? What kind of Pirate King are you if your crew aren't even pirates?"

"Firstly, we do not speak of who I am in public. Secondly, he may not be much of a pirate, but he is one of my best friends. I have known him forever and he agreed a long time ago, that if I was ever to go on another adventure that he would go along as well. I wouldn't go completely alone anyways, not that we couldn't handle ourselves, but I just feel a bit safer."

"Oh, I see" Angelica said as she followed Elizabeth down the street. "What about Will? Does he know your 'friend?'"

"Yes, don't worry they were friends when we were younger as well. Will actually let him take over his blacksmithing business after Mr. Brown died." Elizabeth replied a bit taken aback. "Trust me I know how to handle things."

Neither of them spoke again until after they reached the bakery and bought the loaf of bread.

"So what else do we need to get after this?" Angelica asked.

"Not that much" Elizabeth said distractedly.

"Like for example?"

"Jeez, calm down, we aren't in a hurry, relax a little. We only really needed some bread"

"Is that it?"

Elizabeth thought for a second. "You know now that you mention it, a bottle or two of wine could be nice to have as well. We can stop at the winery."

"That's it? Then why did I need to come?" It didn't really matter to her, but she thought she'd ask anyways.

"Oh, I just wanted some company mostly." Elizabeth replied plainly as they walked through the streets.

"That makes sense after all this time being alone with only your son and a few neighbors."

"I'm sure you've had your fair share of loneliness though." Elizabeth said as they walked back up the street they had just come down. "I know I don't know that much about your past, but I can imagine you haven't had the easiest life."

"That's an understatement" Angelica scoffed. "My father as you know was recently killed. I don't know what happened to my mother. I was left to be raised by nuns in a convent in Spain. I wasn't unhappy living there, but it certainly was no life of adventure. I lived there until I met Jack. He stumbled into my life drunk, as always, but no less as handsome and charming." She said getting lost in the memories. "...I still haven't decided whether that was the best or the worst decision of my life, to go with him. His life just seemed so exciting, and it was everything I didn't realize I wished my life was."

"So he introduced you to this life, and I assume he left you all alone in the midst of it to go after some treasure, right?" Elizabeth said thoughtfully.

"That's it"

"So..what would you do if we came across him on our trip...we probably won't, but I was just wondering" Elizabeth asked just to see if she was making the right decision.

"I don't know. It would depend on the circumstances of our meeting"

"Of course. I imagine it wouldn't be the most pleasant thing that could happen"

"I said I don't know okay?! I wouldn't really have a good reason to be happy about it, would I?!" She snapped.

"Sorry, I was just asking." Elizabeth ignored Angelica's tone. "Well for one thing, he could explain what he was thinking. But, like I said, it probably isn't very likely that we'll come across him."

"It's better that way" She tried to sound confident, but it sounded more like she wasn't sure if she believed what she was saying, and Elizabeth could tell.

"Don't be so sure that you will never see him again though. He _will_ try and find you, you do realize that right?" Elizabeth said thoughtfully.

"What for?"

"For one thing, when he finds out you have his ship, there is no doubt he will track you down. I know how much he loves it. Almost more than anything in the world." She could have given an example of something he loved more, but she thought better of it. "He once traded his soul for it. Of course he found a way out of that deal, like he always does, although he had some help"

"Well, I can see to it that he never gets his ship back" Angelica stated bluntly.

"True, but what about that doll? I'm sure he would not want that to be in your possession, and you can't exactly get rid of it"

"I could try."

"You don't want to kill him do you?"

"Why should I care? If it just happens to fall in the ocean, or catch on fire, what am I to do?" She said hypothetically.

"You don't really want that, and of course I know you wouldn't be so careless as to let those things happen, because as much as you think you hate him, I can tell you don't" She thought she might as well just make that assumption. Angelica didn't answer. She thought of denying it, but Elizabeth was smarter than that. Any denial from her would be more proof that what Elizabeth said was true, so she said nothing.

They soon stopped at the winery and purchased two bottles a fairly expensive red wine; neither of them spoke much for the rest of the time. They arrived back at the house soon after the sun had finally set.

"Go on inside, tell Cristina the plan, and get to sleep, we have to get up early. I have to go to the neighbor's house, but I won't be long. Oh, and can you help Alex get in bed it's already past his bedtime"

That was the last thing Angelica really wanted to do, but she nodded anyways. She took the bread and wine inside as Elizabeth continued down the street.

Cristina was reading book to Alex who was eagerly listening. They both looked up as Angelica entered the room.

"That's it? You were gone for that long and all you come back with is a loaf of bread and some wine?!"

"Elizabeth arranged our trip, and she had to go over to the neighbor's house for a few minutes." She stated. " Ok Alex, your mother said it was time for bed"

"But I'm not even tired" He whined.

"It's apparently already passed your bedtime, so go on and get ready for bed." She said strictly.

Alex sighed and dragged his feet up stairs. Angelica set the stuff down in the kitchen before returning to the living room and sitting down on the chair across from Cristina.

"We are leaving early tomorrow morning. We have to be at the docks by six am. Elizabeth said that the ship and crew would be ready to go by then. It will be no more than about a day and a half trip or so."

"You really think it's a good idea?"

"What else are we going to do? We have nowhere else to go. I don't have a plan yet but I don't intend to sit around here and do nothing for the rest of my life"

"And you really think Tortuga is the place to go?" Cristina said skeptically.

"I don't know, but it's a start. Who knows what could happen once we get there."

"Yeah, well I guess as long as we don't end up on some random persons ship, or insanely drunk, it won't be too bad. Not to mention some of the guys there aren't half bad lookin if you know what I mean" She grinned.

Angelica was about to agree, but Alex came bounding down the stairs, stopping halfway down.

"Miss Angelica, I'm ready for bed." He said.

"Go on then. Get in bed before your mother gets home"

"But she always tucks me and tells me a story" He complained.

"Yeah, go tuck him in and tell him a story Angelica. Go on" Cristina said, grinning at Angelica's obvious displeasure. Angelica merely glared at her before she looked up at Alex who was just standing there smiling. She couldn't help it, he was too cute to say no to. She rolled her eyes one last time at Cristina who stifled a laugh as she walked past her.

"I'll help you get into bed, but Cristina just read you a story"

"Yeah, she read me a book, but she didn't tell me a story. There is a difference." He said smugly as he went upstairs and climbed into bed.

She followed him to his room, trying to avoid stepping on any of his many toys that were strewn across the floor.

"You are a smart kid. I suppose that means I am required to tell you a story then" His eyes widened at her word and he immediately nodded yes as he pulled the blankets around himself. She sat on the edge of the bed and looked down at him.

"I have a request. Can you tell me about an adventure you went on with Jack before I met you?"

She didn't want to, but she agreed anyways. She began at the moment she met Jack in London. She left out a few details here and there mostly consisting of any romantic moments between her and Jack, and of course those gruesome moments as well. It didn't seem to affect Alex's interest though. By the time she got to the part when they had reached White Cap Bay she could tell Alex was now forcing himself to stay awake and he wasn't doing a particularly good job of it, so she decided to end it there.

"But...what about the-the evil mer-mermaids?" He asked sleepily.

"Another time. Now get some sleep" She blew out the candle next to his bed and got up to leave.

"Don't-don't leave...please...I don't like the dark" He whispered. "There could be monsters...what-what if I get eaten by the Kraken! Or a mermaid! Or or what about zombies! Please don't leave!" He yelped.

She sighed.

"There are no monsters in your room"

"But they do exist! What if I get attacked?! What if-"

"You won't be attacked. You have nothing to fear, you are completely safe" He didn't look convinced. "However, if you need something, or something does happen, I promise I will come and save you, alright? No one will let anyone hurt you"

"Thank you-" He yawned tiredly. "Goodnight"

"Goodnight Alex. Sweet dreams." She said on her way out, closing his door behind her.

She crept down the hallway as to not make that much noise, but she jumped when she heard Elizabeth behind her.

"Thanks for putting him to bed, usually I have to sit in there with him until he falls asleep before I can leave"

"Oh, it was nothing. He was pretty tired anyways" She said.

"No, you are really good with him. Thank you"

"Yeah, no problem."

"I assume you mentioned to Cristina the plan then?"

"Yeah, I was just going to bed actually"

"Ok, well goodnight then, and I'll see you in the morning"

"Goodnight"

With that each of them went to their respective rooms. Angelica took off her boots and lay down on the bed. She sighed; she wasn't really tired. She rolled over onto her back and just stared up at the ceiling. She thought about everything she had done, and everything she had said recently. She wasn't particularly happy. Whether it was because Jack wasn't there, or because she had no real goal in her life at the moment. She had always had something to do or go after, and she didn't have anyone that really knew her. Her friends didn't even really know her, or understand her like Jack did. He taught her so much about the world. Oh how she missed him, or didn't. She was still conflicted. How could she let herself even spend one minute thinking about someone so selfish? Why? Why did he have to always lie to her and leave her alone all the time? Why couldn't he just stay? She supposed she would never get a chance to ask him those questions though. If and when she ever did see him again, he was definitely going to get a piece of her mind whether he liked it or not.

She rolled over and pulled the blankets up around her. She lay there for short while before eventually drifting to sleep.

There was a knock at the door. She pried open her eyes. There was no light coming from the window. It was still dark outside, but she expected that at about four forty five in the morning.

"What?" She said groggily sitting up.

Elizabeth cracked open the door. "It's about time to get up, we have to get going"

"I'll be down in a minute."

Elizabeth closed the door, and Angelica could hear her footsteps move down the hallway.

She got up slowly and put on her coat and boots. After making her way downstairs, she found Alex and Cristina eating some toast around the dining room table, and Elizabeth in the kitchen gathering a few other things.

"Everyone ready to go?" Elizabeth called from the kitchen.

"Yes" The other three responded sleepily.

"Good" Elizabeth came into the room carrying a small bag. "Angelica, I assume you haven't forgotten the ship and doll. Here"

In fact, she had. Elizabeth handed her the small bag contain both items and she nodded in thanks.

"Ok, Alex, grab the bag I packed for you, it's by the door, and we can head out."

It was cold outside. They didn't talk much until after the left Alex at his friends hour and arrived at the docks. They arrived almost exactly on time, if not, a few minutes before. Pintel and Regetti were waiting for them at the entrance to the docks.

"'Ello Captain and friends. Fine mornin it is to be sailin off again" Regetti said.

"Indeed it is. I assume the ship has been prepared as well as the crew"

"Aye, all ready to depart Captain" Pintel spoke up.

"Good, lets go then"

They all climbed into the little boat they had tied to the dock and sat back as Pintil and Regetti rowed them over to the the ship. About half an hour later they reached the boat and they could hear someone on board yelling presumedly at the rest of the small crew. While Regetti and Pintil secured the long boat to be hauled aboard, Elizabeth Cristina and Angelica climbed aboard the ship.

"All hands on deck" Someone yelled as Elizabeth stepped aboard.

The crew lined up facing her so she could see who was all on board. Both Regetti and Pintil stepped in line as well as soon as they climbed aboard.

She turned to the other two grinning. "Welcome aboard the Crystal Dawn"

"Nice ship" Cristina said.

The crew included Regetti, Pintil, Murtogg, Mullroy, Marty, Anamaria, and Cotton as well as a few others whom Elizabeth did not know as well. Her first mate was Daniel Archer. He was a tallish, muscular man. He wore an off white shirt and brown pants held up with a brown belt, as well as a deep brown leather jacket. He had a pistol and his sword both hanging off his belt. He had shortish brown hair that fell into his eyes if he didn't have his head wrapped in a bandana. His eyes were hazel and he held himself with a certain amount of confidence. He hadn't joined the crew when they lined up, instead he was still standing at the helm over looking the ship. It was him who they had heard yelling before, and as they came aboard.

The three women walked passed the crew so they could get a sense of who all was on board.

"Ready to sail, ready to sail" Squawked Cotton's parrot as they walked by.

"I agree." Elizabeth nodded to Daniel up on the quarterdeck.

"Batten down the hatches, man the yard and make sail for Tortuga" He ordered.

"Aye" The crew said in unison before scattering about to get back to their positions. The Dawn was not a very large ship so it was able to have such a small crew. It had two and a half masts, twenty broadside cannons: ten on each side, as well as four chasers: two in the bow and two in the stern. It was no where near as fast as the Pearl, the Dutchman, or the Revenge, but with the wind, the Dawn could easily outdistance the average ship. With a full crew compliment of thirty five deck hands, the Dawn could easily hold her own, but with not more than half of the optimal crew they would have to hope they didn't come across anyone hell bent on a fight. There was a nice breeze as the sun had started to rise. The ship lurched forward as the sails caught the wind. After a short while, the ship settled into its perpetual motion of pitching ever so slightly as the waves lapped up against the hull.

Elizabeth, followed by Angelica and Cristina, joined Daniel on the quarterdeck.

"You are right on time for once" Daniel joked.

"Hey now don't forget who you're talking to" Elizabeth returned his joking tone. "Daniel, allow me to introduce Angelica and Cristina. Likewise, this is Daniel. He is my acting first mate and is in charge of the crew on this little venture"

Both Angelica and Cristina merely smiled and nodded.

"It's a pleasure" Daniel said, grinning.

"So, what time frame are we looking at?" Elizabeth said quickly trying avoid any awkward silences.

"Well, it's gunna be a beautiful day, and if the wind keeps up, I'd wager a day-day and a half maybe. That is if we don't run into any problems" Daniel said confidently.

"Lets hope we don't then" Elizabeth said before turning to look happily over the rest of the ship. It had truly been too long since she had been out to sea.

* * *

**A/N So, I probably could have skipped this chapter, but ehh, every story has its boring moments. I'm just going to stop making predictions for when I will update again, because I obviously am not good with deadlines. However, I have a day off tomorrow, and I plan to write the majority of the next chapter, how hard could it be? (potentially not very...but hey Idk) Have a good day/night :)**


	37. Chapter 41

**A/N Chapter 41! It was surprisingly easy to write, probably cause it was pretty interesting. I had fun writing it, so I hope you all like it. **

**Thank you everyone, because you all are awesome. Your reviews and support means so much to me, so thanks again! **

**Please enjoy the following chapter. :) **

* * *

"So how did ya actually find me cause I know ye had to have 'elp from someone" Jack said as they walked passed the docks.

"This would do it, don't you think?" She held up a compass, identical to the one he owned.

"Oi! where'd ye get that from?!" He immediately felt around where he usually kept his compass, and sure enough it was still there. He held it up looking at it curiously. "What the bloody hell have you got my future compass for?"

She was reluctant to answer that question, but couldn't not answer him at least a little. "...You gave it to me. You told me to keep it" She said uneasily.

"Why?" He couldn't see himself ever giving away his compass, not for any reason. He didn't know if he could make it point to anything else, but he couldn't imagine getting rid of it.

"...You didn't need it. You said it was better someone you trusted could make some use out of it" She knew her presence there would effect the timeline, which was her goal, so it didn't matter what she said or did. However, she didn't want to talk about this, even though she knew she would have to eventually. The longer she could keep away from this subject, the better.

"Trust? Darlin, I don't trust you for a second. Not you, and of more importance, the you of this time" He stated.

"That will eventually change." She said. "Hopefully"

"What was that? What do you mean hopefully?! Don't you know?"

"Not for sure" She sighed. "My presence has changed the timeline. Anything I tell you and anything I do here affects the future to a point that is unpredictable. Since I arrived, the future that I was apart of no longer exists because I changed the past. Do you understand? I can only give a good guess as to what will happen, but I do know somethings don't change. You will eventually trust me again." She tried to explain.

Jack was trying to wrap his head around everything she just said the entire way back to Teague's office, and he just kept getting confused so he gave up and figured if he really needed to know, she would just have to explain it again. They stopped right outside the office. Jack really didn't want to go in there.

"Ye know, I already have the maps and that's all we need, what do ya say we get a drink?"

"Later, we are not leaving until you resolve this"

"Resolve what? There is nothing that is need of resolving"

"Look, Jack. This treasure you are after will require more level headedness than you are capable of at the moment. You need your wits about you and you have to stop being so angry all the time"

"You don't know what he's like" He said changing the subject slightly.

"Yes I do" She said. "You need to give him a chance to explain before you end up making the same mistake!" She knew immediately after speaking that she had said too much.

"ehh? What does that mean? What mistake?!" He asked her but she refused to answer, instead she knocked on the door, trying to escape his questions.

"Oi, answer me damnit! What happened?!"

"Nothing yet…" She said quietly just before the door swung open.

Teague was standing there with a grim look on his face and a bottle in his hand.

"Get in 'ere ye don't 'ave all day" He grumbled.

Jack didn't answer but took a seat next to Angelica, in front of Teague's desk. He went in with the idea that he was going to make his best effort to speak as little as possible.

"'ello Angelica, thank ye fer bringin 'im back 'ere" Teague said. Jack glared at her, but didn't say anything. She ignored him.

"Jackie, you 'ave a problem"

"Do I? And what exactly is that?" He retorted rolling his eyes, completely abandoning his earlier goal to remain silent.

"Don't forget who yer talkin to boy!" Teague growled causing Jack to shift uncomfortably in his seat. "It seems ye forgot yer manners. I let ye get away with it yesterday, but now I'm tellin you to shut your mouth"

"Oh come on, this is not about my manners! Get on with it already, if I do, as you pointed out, 'ave such limited time!"

She could see this was going to turn into a heated argument if they didn't stop and get to the point.

"Jack shut up! You don't want to be here,and I've got news for you, no one else does either. So the faster you shut up, the faster we can leave!" She looked at him sternly and he sighed, leaning back in his chair. Teague was almost amazed at how she wielded so much power over his son, whereas he could hardly get him to do anything anymore. "Captain Teague, would you continue?" She asked softly.

He nodded. "Now Jack, you didn't let me finish yesterday…"

"How could ya do that to her?" Jack interrupted.

"It was that treasure ye see. In order for it to be controlled, ye need the second piece, or it will control you." He started to explain. "It was cursed…"

"Everythin that's worth anythin now a days is cursed...why does that make it special?" Jack questioned sounding calmer than he had just moments before.

"Because Jackie, it's evil and has a will of it's own. It will only do your bidding if you have the second piece."

"So I'm guessing, you went, found it, but didn't 'ave the second piece, so what exactly 'appened?"

"Yes, I found it, but I didn't have the second piece. I tried to use it, but I couldn't."

"It? What is it, like how big are we talkin? What is it made of?" Jack became momentarily distracted.

"It's an emerald sphere with an amber core, ye can hold it in yer hand."

"'ow much power does it actually 'ave?"

"Shall we just say it's more powerful than the Calypso"

"So what does that entail?"

"It means, Jackie, that if ye 'ave the mind to, ye can do whatever ye want. Both Calypso and the Dutchman would be at yer mercy, not to mention ye would be the most powerful pirate on the seven seas."

Jack's eyes widened. He thought about that for a moment. Being the most powerful pirate in the world would be nice. 'The Omnipotent Captain Jack Sparrow', he smirked just thinking about it.

"and then?" Angelica prompted seeing that Jack was getting distracted.

"As I said, it's evil when not used properly. I was overcome with a feeling of pure rage and hatred for the world and everything in it. Lookin at anyone, every reason I 'ad for hating them flooded my mind. And...I couldn't stop meself, by the time I came too, t'was too late."

Jack brought himself back to the current conversation.

"What'd ye do to 'er?" Jack demanded to know every possible detail, even though he really didn't want to hear it.

"I-I stuck her through with the blade of me sword"

Jack's face paled slightly just imagining it. "What in the bloody hell was she doing there anyways?! Why on this earth would you let her go with you?! You must have known how dangerous it was! What were you thinking?!" Jack was on his feet furiously yelling. He almost felt like he was yelling at himself, as he had had a similar argument before.

"I was thinking that I couldn't stop her, and she insisted on going." Teague replied surprisingly calm.

"Why didn't you stop her?! You could have saved her!" Jack continued yelling.

"She made her own choices Jackie. It weren't my decision"

"I can't believe you were so selfish that you chose treasure over your wife! Over someone you loved! Or did you not really care?!"

"Of course I did! Don't dare question how much I cared for yer mother!"

"And yet you didn't take the time to think about what could happen! You must not 'ave cared that much!"

"It's not like that boy!" Teague exclaimed. "But just in case you 'avn't yet noticed, yer 'bout to make the same mistake!"

"How do you figure that?!" Although he did know what Teague meant.

"Ain't she goin with ya?!" Teague asked referring to Angelica.

"No, she isn't. If I go, I go alone"

Teague glanced at Angelica who looked like she was slightly offended, but Jack didn't notice.

"And you think she will let you?"

"It's not her choice!" Jack demanded.

"Could you actually stop her"

"Of course I could if I had to, it wouldn't be that hard"

"But would you do it?"

Jack didn't answer. He was thinking about the last time he had been in that scenario and he couldn't. He knew he wouldn't be able to. Both Teague and Angelica took his silence as a no.

"I take that as a no. You are no different that I was!"

"I am not!" I'm not like you!" Jack could hardly think anymore.  
"Oh that's right, you're not, because you're not 'bout to drag someone ye care about to find this treasure. Yer not 'bout to risk 'er life or anyone elses for anythin at all."

"It's not the same! I do not care about anyone! I have nothing to lose!" He said, even though in the back of his mind he was thinking of how it was exactly the same. He couldn't take it, he had already tried to distance himself from his own Angelica, but now he had to separate himself from the future one too. He couldn't watch either of them get hurt because of him.

"Jack stop yelling and calm down" She said softly next to him. He glanced at her, a look of horror in his eyes. He couldn't imagine losing her, either one. The fact that there were two of them confused him. He had pretty much lost one of them, but as long as at least one or both were alive somewhere and not dead because of him it was okay. He sighed and sat back down.

"Jack you will be okay" She placed her hand on his, but he pulled away. He couldn't let himself get too close to anyone, especially if he still wanted to find this treasure.

"So..uh...anythin else 'bout the treasure while I'm 'ere?" He muttered.

"Of the two maps, one leads to the globe and the other to the second piece. Here is a copy of the one to the globe." He handed it to Jack.

"Any idea what the second piece is?"

"No, I swore to stay as far away from everythin that 'ad to do with that treasure as possible. I never tried to find the second piece after what 'append"

"Oh...then I guess that's it" Jack said as he got up to leave.

"_Your mother loved you _Jackie_, more than anything. More than life itself._"

"Thank you" Jack said as he swiftly left.

"Take care of 'im will ya, don't let 'im lose what's important in this world. He does care, don't let 'im forget it. But mind yerself, this be dangerous"

"I will, and I'll keep an eye on Jack, don't worry" Angelica promised before she too left and followed Jack.

"Jack-wait!" She called after him. He was walking briskly in the opposite direction to the docks, her guess was that he was trying to find himself some rum.

He didn't stop, or even turn around. She followed him into a pub. By the time she found him he was seated in the back downing a bottle of rum. She took a seat across from him, ignoring all of the other people there.

"Jack, don't you have somewhere to go?" She prompted.

He didn't answer.

"Jack, listen to me, we have to leave"

"Why should I go anywhere with you?" He asked pointedly before taking another long drink.

"We have to get to Tortuga, and keep the maps away from Barbossa"

"Didn't ye hear what I was sayin b'fore?"

"Of course I did, but I know you didn't mean it"

"Don't be so sure" He muttered before taking another drink.

"I am right and you know it. You do care, and whatever it is that you think you are going to do, I am going as well."

"Why is it that neither of you can just realize that it is in your best interest to be rid of me, ehh?"

"Because believe it or not, we are the same person, and in fact the future, they way I lived it without you, was worse than my life ever was with you"

"Are you sure 'bout that? I thought you didn't know the future?"

"Not exactly, but I do know the future as I experienced it. And it wasn't very pleasant for either of us"

"Why's that?"

"Jack I don't want to get into this. Not here"

"But supposedly I do meet you again, I believe you said in a few days in fact..now how did that happen, cause the way I worked it out, you and Cristina should have gone off to wherever it is, and I should've never seen you again"

"Cristina?" She questioned.

"Yer best friend, who insisted we be separated, and who also ended up getting her wish for me to be gone. Dontcha remember 'er?"

"It's been years since I've seen any of you. I remember the last time I saw her, it's not a pleasant memory."

"How long has it been exactly?"

"At least five years"

"What happened? Since then, what happened to her?"

"I'll explain everything eventually, but not here. Can we just go now?"

"No, I don't want to leave just yet"

"Look Jack, the Angelica from your time still loves you, she is just conflicted about it. If you don't run into her in Tortuga, you may never see her again"

"How is that persuading me to go, because as I see it, that is completing my original goal, to keep her safe by staying out of her life." He raised an eyebrow at her.

"One, because she still loves you, and you her." Jack shook his head, not convinced. "And two, she has your ship as well as the doll"

"Ha, no she doesn't. My ship is in the capable hands of Gibbs, who was aboard the Dutchman with the whelp"

"Whatever you say" She shrugged and got up to leave, but he caught her arm.

"You aren't serious are you?!"

She just looked at him.  
"Fine, but before we leave, I think I'll have another drink " He got up, but Angelica stepped in front of him.

"One is enough Jack, I didn't come back to this time to watch you drink! We are leaving, come on" She dragged him outside.

"Oi, what are you in such a hurry for?!" He grumbled, pulling his arm out of her grasp.

"One, because Barbossa isn't going to leave without the maps, and we are going to get on that ship before it leaves the docks today!"

"Fine, so that just leaves us getting aboard the ship without any problems" He said thoughtfully.

"That could be a problem"

"Not at all, assuming ye don't mind actin a bit" He grinned deviously.

"Where are you going with this?" She rolled her eyes. "Just so you know, I will not pretend to be your whore"

"I know, I didn't expect you to. Here" He pulled her into a nearby alleyway incase any of Barbossa's crew were about.

"Jack what are you doing?"

He pulled the bandana he had taken from her cabin off his his belt and handed it to her.

"Where'd you get this?"

"Never mind that, just tie your hair back" Perhaps going through her things was not such a good idea. He didn't expect she'd be in proximity to ever notice, but he was sure she would now, or at least her future self would figure it out.

"Now...uh...wait here a sec" He dashed away around the corner. She had only been waiting for him for a few minutes before he came running back. Thankfully there were not that many people around or she could have gotten into trouble while he was gone.

"Turn around" He wrapped a piece of black fabric around her face so only her eyes were showing.

"Jack where did you get this?"

"Doesn't matter" He had actually run into some random building, which luckily for him, happened to be a tailor's workshop. No one was there so he was sure no one would miss that small piece of fabric.

While she was still standing with her back to him, she could feel his breath on her neck, before he gently pulled her hood over her head. He paused for a few moments letting his hands come to rest softly on her shoulders and just looked down on her. It had been a while since he had been so close to her when they weren't fighting. He would have loved to just kiss her and love her until he couldn't anymore, but he resisted.

"Jack" She almost whispered, leaning into him slightly. She pulled the black 'scarf' down, uncovering her face as she turned to look up at him.

In his mind, he was telling himself not to get mixed up with her, but he couldn't help it anymore, she was too close to him and far too beautiful in his eyes. He brought one of his hands to caress her face as he leaned in to kiss her. He kissed her softly on her lips, and she returned it. But, it wasn't long until Jack snapped out of it, breaking it off.

He had an almost bewildered look on his face, while she seemed pretty calm as if it were normal in her time.

He cleared his throat and took a step back "Um, didn't mean to do that, uh can we just forget that?" As much as he would have loved to continue down that path with her, he was not about to let himself.

"Forget what?" She played along. She was a bit surprised that he had that much control over himself. She forgot how good it felt to be near him after five years without him. She missed the warmness of his skin, and the strength of his arms around her. She missed his stupid grin and his sarcastic remarks. Even all of the times he would deny his feelings, and argue with her, she always knew he never really meant it.

"Uh, err, here" He pulled the black 'scarf' over her nose again. He could hardly tell it was her with her hair back and only her eyes showing under the dark hood. He hoped Barbossa would either not notice her, or at least not recognize her. "Don't even recognize ye luv"

"...Right, uh...so now what?"

"Now, just don't speak, act like you belong and everything should go swimmingly. Come on"  
They walked to docks to board the Revenge. It wasn't very busy, as most of the crew who had gotten off the day before had already returned. Jack was a few steps ahead of her so she wouldn't be noticed as quickly.  
After everything she had been through in her life, there wasn't much she was afraid of. However, she could feel the eyes of the crew focused on her instead of Jack as they neared the ship, and it unnerved her. So much so in fact that she quickened her pace until she was close enough to Jack that she could hold his hand and be more at ease. He was slightly startled by her cold hand in his, but he said nothing and only glanced briefly at her. He didn't mind, actually he wished his Angelica would be more like this. He was tired of all of her deceptions and the way she would almost deny that she had any emotions at all. He almost felt bad for even thinking it, but he almost liked the future her better. She was less confrontational, more open, while still being the same person he seemed to know.  
As soon as they crossed the gangplank they were confronted by Barbossa, which was exactly what they didn't want to happen.  
"Welcome back, Jack" He grinned in a sinister way that made Angelica feel rather uncomfortable, and Jack could tell. He didn't say anything to her, or even give her a glance, but he did give her hand a gentle squeeze as if to say calm down, it's alright. It had been years since she had faced down Barbossa, and it had been one of the worst days of her life. There were definitely a lot of bad days, but that by far was in the top five.  
"I presume ye have the map as agreed, eh?"  
"Aye, I've got it"  
"Hand it over" Barbossa said, holding his hand out.  
Jack reached into his jacket pocket, pulled out one of his two maps and placed it Barbossa's waiting hands.  
"There ye go. Just like we agreed, now how 'bout we get a move on to Tortuga so we can celebrate this momentous occasion." Jack said starting to walk away, with Angelica close behind him. She tried to keep her head down as much as possible.  
"Not so fast Sparrow, who's this ya got 'ere?" Barbossa spun her around by her shoulder.  
"No one, that is no one. No one of any significance, I can assure you."  
"I don't recall that I gave permission for her to come aboard"  
"No, I did. She was looking for passage to Tortuga, and since we are going there anyways..." Jack tried to sound convincing.  
"Not til I see her face" Barbossa went to pull the hood off of her head but Jack stepped in front of her.  
"What does it matter who she is? You will not lay a hand on her"  
"Yer gettin mighty protective over a 'no one'."  
"I am not."  
"You are so, now move aside"  
"No. She is nothing to me. Nothing at all." He said generally. Angelica would have been taken aback if she hadn't had to deal with this kind of behavior from Jack before. After all, he was doing it for her anyways.

"I don't believe you. How would yer dearly beloved feel about you seein other women? It seems ye could get in some mighty bad trouble if she were to find out"

"It's not like that, and it doesn't matter because it's none of your business, and she won't know anyways." Jack stated "However, that being said she is not to be harmed or you can kiss goodbye any help from me in finding your treasure!" Jack growled.

"Get a move on Sparrow, yer wastin time." Barbossa grumbled.  
"Thank you" He said grudgingly giving a slight nod, before practically dragging Angelica down to the cabin he had been staying in. Only one deck up, they could hear Barbossa yelling at the the crew who were scurrying around to get the ship to move out of the cove.  
"Ah, here we are..." He opened to door for her.  
She looked around, it had been so long since she had been there.  
"I'm gunna go get somethin to eat, maybe find some wine er somthin, I'll be right back." Jack left Angelica alone. She locked the door behind him; being there reminded her of something she meant to do. Of their many fights that took place between then and the time she had decided to come back, there was one in particular that she wanted to prevent. At one point in the future Jack had made it clear that he had read her personal diary. If she could prevent him from ever finding it, she would save them a lot of trouble. That is if she wasn't already too late. It had been so long that she forgot where she had left it. She tore through her chest of clothes, tossing them everywhere: nothing. She ripped out all of the papers in her desk: nothing. She checked the only other place; the box near the end of her bed...nothing. She was too late, all she could hope for was that he hadn't read any of it yet.  
She took the opportunity to change her clothes before he returned, but she didn't think to clean up the mess she made. She sat down on the bed and leaned herself against the headboard. She took her hair down and closed her eyes. It was only a few minutes before she heard a knock at the door, and the sounds of someone trying to get in. She had forgotten to unlock the door again.  
"Who's there?" She asked.  
"What do you mean who's there? Who else would it be?!" Jack's identifiable voice said from outside the cabin.  
She quickly got up to unlock the door. He was barely able to twist the handle before pushing the door open with his foot, since in one hand he struggled to hold two bottles of rum and a bottle of wine, and in the other, a plate of fish balancing on two empty glasses.  
"Mind helpin me out, luv?" She promptly took the wine and plate of fish, and set them on the desk. He set down the glasses and pushed the door closed.  
"Ye like fish, righ- wow, you managed to make quite the mess while I was gone. Lose somethin already?"

"Where is it Jack?" She questioned.

"Where's what?"

"You know full well what!"

"Could you be a little bit more specific?" He honestly didn't know.

"Don't lie to me Jack, what did you do with my journal, I know you have it!" She scowled.

"Oh, that. What makes you think I am going to give it back, there could be important information in it."

"You haven't read it?"

"Maybe, but perhaps I should take a closer look" He actually hadn't had a chance.

"No! Jack can I please have it?"

"No, persuade me" He said defiantly.

She stepped towards him and looked him in the eye. He remembered when he had told Elizabeth to do that same thing and she was not very successful. He grinned.

"Why are you smiling like that?!"

"I'm not." He straightened his face. " I don't hear anything, I said persuade me to give it back and I will"

"Just trust me...it will save both of us a lot of trouble in the future" She explained quickly. "most likely" She added.

He rolled his eyes, knowing that was the best answer he was going to get, "Fine, 'ere. And take these too" He practically tossed all of the letters along with the journal at her.

"Thank you"

"Now about this fish...you aren't a vegetarian in the future are you?"

"No"

"Good" He poured two glasses of wine and handed her one. "To the future, might it be filled with good fortune for us both what ever that may mean" The tapped their glasses together.

* * *

**A/N I was so into writing that, I probably could have made it so much longer, but it's long enough, I had to save something for the next chapter, lol. **

**I'm thinking, that the 3rd chapter from now will be quite interesting, and hopefully I wont have to go back and forth between them anymore, if you know what I mean. So that's something to look forwards to. lol. I am going to be a bit busy this next week because it's the end of the quarter and I have a regatta to travel to this next weekend, but I should have more time during spring break. So expect an update, in about a week and half (maybe). **

**Also, if you didn't catch it, I borrowed a line for the movie _Hobbit Battle of the Five Armies _ Just because I loved that movie so much, plus that line was kind of perfect too.**

**"Your mother loved you Legolas, more than anything. More than life itself" - King Thranduil to Legolas (Hobbit Battle of the Five Armies) **

**Anyways, feel free to review and leave some feedback, and look out for the next update. :)**


	38. Chapter 42

**A/N Happy April! Apparently, the only person I was able to fool was myself into thinking I would actually have time to write this. I was wrong of course. I didn't revise this chapter as much, so it is bound to be filled with grammatical errors...sorry. :/ Also btw, don't get confused, this _is _in fact the 2nd Jack chapter in a row. Why, you ask? Just because. So thank you for all of your positive reviews and I hope you all like it. :) **

* * *

They had a few drinks and were laughing casually together. It grew oddly silent, and in the back of his mind, Jack wondered if she was upset about what he had said earlier. She seemed relaxed but a little hesitant.

It was strange for him to be around her when she seemed happy to be with him. They hadn't had any significant arguments and they were actually getting along. Why wasn't his Angelica like this? He needed to know why the future Angelica seemed nicer, somewhat relaxed, less condescending, and more understanding, or at least to him she was. What happened to her? Not that the Angelica of his time wasn't one of the most wonderful persons he knew other than himself, but she did have an attitude problem of sorts. He had grown up with the notion that people don't change. By the end of the evening he would find out what happened one way or another. Although, as much as he wanted to know, he had to tread lightly because he was conscientious that he had said some things regarding her that he probably should not have. He knew his Angelica would have been furious and wouldn't even be in the same room as him, let alone drinking with him. He was curious, but he wasn't sure how he should approach the subject. It's a tricky thing, and it could have potentially devastating effects should he word something the wrong way.

Neither of them were speaking, they were almost avoiding each others eye contact, sipping from their respective glasses.

"So, I see you changed outfits when I left" Jack awkwardly not knowing what else to say.

She had forgotten and glanced down at herself and then back up at Jack. "Yeah, I wanted some fresher clothes." She hesitated slightly at the strange look he gave her. "Do-do I look alright, or too familiar?"

He wasn't even looking at her clothes. He was gazing deep into her eyes to see if there was any hint of anger, or resentment; he found none and that confused him.

"Ye look okay to me" He said continuing to hold her gaze.

She blushed slightly but looked away from him, completely changing the expression on her face. She tried to look as hurt and upset as possible to see what he would do. "Okay? I look okay to you?!" She said as if completely offended, but she was faking it.

"Uh, I didn't mean that! I meant beautiful-beautiful, you look lovely as ever" He corrected afraid she was actually serious. She giggled. He gave her yet another quizzical look.

"I wasn't serious, Jack" She said lightly.

"Ah-uh, of course not…" He smiled uncomfortably. "But you realize you can't go on deck wearing that"

"Why's that?"

"Do you remember what happened the last time you were'ere?"

"Of course I do, did you forget that I have a good memory?" She had actually started to forget. She didn't quite remember. Before she left, both Will and Elizabeth had warned her. They emphasized four things: To be careful, To focus on the goal, To make only necessary changes, and To pay very close attention to detail. Each of those pretty much went out the window as soon as she found Jack. She hadn't lost focus on her goal because she knew she would have to be patient, but she couldn't remember everything, all of the details of her life during this time she could barely remember. It was so traumatic, but had to force herself to remember anyways for his sake.

"Unfortunately" He muttered. "So why is it that you really came back here, because don't think I don't know it was not just for fun. What are you doing here?"

"Is it not enough that I just wanted to see you?" She said as innocently as possible.

"I'm truly flattered luv, but people don't change that much." He said being completely serious.

"Is it not enough that I missed you?" She said setting down her now empty wine glass.

Both of them had finished their wine, so he got up to pour some more. He snatched both of the glasses off the table without answering and sauntered across the room. At the risk of allowing her to drink too much, he kept the wine on the other side of the room. He held up the bottle, it was in fact empty. All they had left in the room was rum. He knew she didn't like it, but he had to offer her some anyways.

"Well, it appears as if we are out of wine, care for some rum instead?" He offered, expecting a no.

"Of course"

"Really? I thought you didn't like it " He said with his back to her as he poured two glasses. " At first I must say it was not that noticeable, but you've changed."

She got up and came to stand behind him, leaning into him and wrapping her arms around him. "Now, is that good...or bad?"

He turned around to face her and gazed once again into her deep chocolate eyes. "For now I am going to say good" He said gently brushing her hair out of her face, while with his other hand he held her waist.

"And do you think you will change your mind?" She said softly. She pushed some of the dreadlocks off of his face.

"Not likely, I think I like this 'new' you" He said smirking. He leaned in to kiss her, gently pressing his lips to hers. He was still unsure if this was a good idea. It felt like her. They had the same face, the same hair, the same smell, the same curves, the same eyes, the same everything, and yet he almost felt like he was betraying her in someway. Since when did he care? He hadn't ever cared before, why did he care now? He didn't realize that while he was deep in thought, he had stopped responding to the Angelica that was kissing him right then.

"Jack?"

"Hmm...What?"

She looked up at him. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know." He was confused. It was rare, and even rarer that he would admit it. "I know you are her and she is you, but…"

She almost laughed. "We are the same person, just separated by a few years. When you see her tomorrow evening, it won't be lying if she asks you if there was anyone else and you say no" She smirked. "Since when do you care?"

He sighed, holding her tightly. "I guess you're right"

She stood up a little taller so she could kiss him on the cheek. "Of course I am"

"Now let's not get carried away, you aren't always right"

She leaned away from him to look into his eyes. "Haven't you heard the phrase 'women are always right'?"

"No I don't think I ever 'ave, luv" He denied playfully.

"Well...now you have" She said before kissing him again.

He would allow himself to kiss her, but he forced himself to have more self control over anything else.  
Their lips separated, but they were only a few inches apart. "Just like old times, ehh?" Jack grinned.

"Almost" She agreed.  
They were so distracted by each other that they lost all track of time.

"I'll be right back luv" He said before leaving the cabin, shutting the door behind him. He had an idea so he just left her standing there. After all, there was more he could do to make it really like old times for her before they arrived the next day.  
It seemed like he was gone for a long time, as if centuries had passed before he came back through the door.  
She was sitting on the edge of the bed with not a glass, but the entire bottle of rum. She nearly spit it out when he returned.

"Where'd you go?"

"I went on deck. It's fairly dark, and the crew are mostly asleep" He said. "Shall we?" He offered her his arm.  
She wrapped the bandana around her head again to keep her hair out of her eyes before gracefully accepting. He held the door open for her and followed her up to the main deck.

As soon as she set foot on deck she heard the strumming of a mandolin and she was struck with the memory of the last time he tried to pull this stunt on her.  
She stopped. She took in the aroma of the sea, the sweet sound of the mandolin, and the soft luminescence of the candles lit around the deck.

"Now, it's pretty damn close to old times if I do say so, don't you agree" He said from behind her.

"Yes" She breathed.

"Care for a dance, m'lady?" He said bowing slightly and extending his hand to her. She took it without question. If she could have wished for one night with Jack before her time was up, this would be it. It was perfect. There wasn't lust in his eyes, instead his gaze was soft and loving. He was gentle, twirling her graciously around to the music. He let go of her at one point allowing her to spin around on her own. He just looked her up and down, letting his eyes take in her full beauty, because she had never looked better. She beamed at him as he walked back up to her. She was about to say something, but he silenced her with a kiss.

"What was that for?"

"As if I need a reason" He protested.

"Jack..."

"Mhmm?"

"I love you"

"And I you" He said holding her steady gaze, before kissing her again. If only the you of this time understood that concept, he thought.  
The music stopped. They looked at the crewman Jack had asked to play for them. He motioned to the upper deck where heavy footsteps could be heard. Jack got the hint and pulled Angelica back down the stairs to the cabin.

"Sorry to cut our evening short darlin" He said after he shut the door.

"Thank you Jack, that was very sweet" She said as she started to change into her night clothes. Jack turned away so to give her some privacy.

"Jack, what are you doing?" She asked.

"Nothing other than thinking I suppose" He turned around again.

"And what are you thinking about?" She said stepping towards him as she pulled her shirt over her head.

"You seem so different from the you of this time." He stated. "What happened? What changed since now that changed you?"

"I learned the meaning of 'life is too short'" She said in all seriousness losing her sweet and soft tone.

He thought for a second. "What do you mean?"

She placed her hand on his chest and felt his heartbeat. "You don't want to know"

"Just tell me for goodness sake...whose life was too short?" If she didn't answer he was going to start guessing. "Cristina? Elizabeth? Will? Aaron?...come on whose death could impact yo-oh..."  
She looked up at him, tears welling in her eyes. At that moment he understood.

"Me?"

She nodded. "You couldn't be saved" She trembled.

"Calm down, luv, it's alright" He pulled her closer to him. She buried her face in his shirt.

"But now I know, kind of, so we can prevent that." He said softly.

"That's the goal." She said stifling back more tears.

"So how-what happened exactly?"

"I'm tired, can we talk about it tomorrow?"

He smiled warmly down at her. "Course we can." He said letting go of her. He watched her climb onto the far side of the bed and pull the blankets up around her. He opened the door to leave. "G'night luv"

"You aren't going to stay?"

"Uh-no, I just assumed you would like yer own room, I s'pose."

"Would you stay if I asked you to?"

"Sure I would, anythin for you luv" He said completely giving up on his will to remain distant if he hadn't already. He shut the door and threw off his jacket. He tossed off his boots and unfastened his belt of effects draping it over the chair. Finally he carefully took off his shirt, exposing the two major scars on his chest, before climbing under the blankets next to her. He wrapped his arms around her, and they both fell easily asleep next to each other.

* * *

She blinked her eyes open. It was morning, and Jack had obviously gotten up early not bothering to wake her, of course. She imagined he was on the main deck. She got up, changed her clothes, yanked on her boots and jacket, tied up her hair, concealed her face with the black scarf, and pulled her hood over her head. She walked up to the main deck trying to avoid the crew and more importantly Barbossa. She looked around for Jack who appeared to be discussing with a crewman. Jack didn't notice her, but the other man did. She couldn't hear them, but she saw him give Jack a nudge. He looked over and grinned, but that quickly turned to a frown. He waved for her to come over, and she would have had someone not grabbed her shoulder from behind. She spun around to see Barbossa standing over her.

"Lookin for someone are we?" He sneered.

"No, because I already found him" She retorted.

"And that be Jack I presume" He continued. "Now tell me, what is your relation to master Sparrow?"

Truth or lie? What would Jack say? Lie, Jack would definitely lie.

"I have no relation to Sparrow, he is just a kind gentleman who offered me some assistance"

"Ye see, now I know yer lyin. Sparrow does nothin unless there is somethin in it for himself, so what did ye promise him in return eh?"

"Nothing that concerns you" She was about to walk away but he yanked her back by her arm.

He eyed her skeptically. "Ye see miss that's where yer wrong. Anythin that takes place on a ship is the captain's business. As captain, that makes yer business my business"

"You know I'm not so sure that's how it works, _Captain_" She hissed.

"Right...well then believe what ye may, but just so ye know be prepared to say goodbye to Sparrow as we'll be arrivin in five _very_ short hours." He left her and returned to his watchful position on the quarterdeck.

She walked over to Jack who had watched her confrontation with the Captain.

"Nothin like a good mornin from our favorite Captain, eh" He said mildly amused. "What'd he want anyways?"

"Nothing"

"What did you tell him?"

"Nothing"

"So what's on the agenda for today then?"

"He did mention that we would be arriving in about five hours. We will have about half an hour before Elizabeth and friends arrive as well."

"This should be fairly easy right?" He asked leaning against the rail. "We find them, obtain me ship, offer them a place aboard and take them back to Port Royal before settin out to find the treasure"

"It won't be that easy" She said morbidly. "Elizabeth and Cristina aren't the problem. Angelica is the one that will take more careful convincing"

"Oh that's right, you said we fought about something. What was that again?"

"She doesn't understand why you forced Will to trade you for her that day"

"Oh...well, now I know about it so...it might be different this time" He said hopefully.

"Possibly, but she still has your ship so you can't avoid her" She admired the sunlight reflecting off the rolling waves.

"We can deal with her when we get there, but you say Elizabeth and Cristina are fairly easy to persuade?"

"If you know what to say" She smirked.

"And ye'll be sharin said information" He nudged her on the shoulder.

"Elizabeth only has two things she cares about in this world. He son and her husband. Promise to free Will and she will agree to help you with almost anything"

"Ah, and Cristina?"

"She's trickier. If I'm correct, she will only go if Angelica goes"

"So it leads back to 'er"

"Jack" She looked up at him. "Just so you know for when you have to explain to her, Cristina and Will both lied to her about something you didn't do...again"

"Why? and why the hell did you keep believing her?"

"Well if it helps, I stopped." She said. "Anyways, you recall the night before you fought Ricardo?"

"Yes, and I hope to never forget it"

"I agree, it was such a wonderful day, but do you remember what you asked me?"

"Aye, but, what's that got to do with anythin?"

"Put it together Jack, you called it off only days later because of the first of Cristina's lies. You found out and you both agreed to resume your prior relationship. Remember?"

"Yes I remember"

"Good, then you also should remember forcing both Will and Cristina to promise not to let her come back to find you"

"Where are you going with this?"

"Don't be stupid, they lied to her to keep their promise to you. They told her that you permanently ended it and wished to never see her again or something like that"

"That's interesting, kudos to them for being so very loyal, but then why is she still on her merry way to Tortuga?"

"Because Elizabeth found out too, and she convinced her to go under the pretense of having some fun when in reality she was hoping to run into you, Jack"

"So that is why she is mad at me, or rather will be, because of why again? This is all rather complex is it not?"

"She doesn't know what you are to each other anymore, and she doesn't understand why, after promising her that you would stay, you separated yourself from her"

"Okay, that's easy. One, to each other, whatever she wants, and two, if she gets hurt I'd never forgive myself, so yes I distanced her from me, but for her own protection so she should be thankful that I'm not more selfish than I already am"

"And that is mostly what you will have to say to her when you see her, except she will probably be yelling at you so you better be prepared to just say it."

"Oh this is gunna be fun" He said sarcastically.

The talked more and time went by fairly quickly. Barbossa got on Jack for not doing anything and forced him to scrub the deck while Angelica was made to help out in the galley. She wasn't the best at cooking and she just felt sorry for who ever would have to eat because she certainly wasn't going to.

Jack burst through the door miffed that he couldn't just kill the sorry bastard. "We're 'ere, grab yer things and let's go. We are leavin this bloody ship right now"

"Aww, Jack had to do some work, poor him" She mocked. He glared at her.

"Oh, come on, we arrived early so we could go stop for a few drinks."

"Aye, that sounds good."

"Only a few mind you I will be paying attention" She said as they walked back up to the deck where the crew were scrambling around to secure the anchors and ties to the dock.

"Course ye will" He winked.

"I'll be right back" She said before she ran down to the cabin to grab the bag she had packed herself, not really for her, but for her other self. It mostly consisted of clothes, but also had her journal and letters.

She came back to stand by Jack just the crew lowered the gangplank.

"Lets go 'ave a drink" He said happily taking her hand and leading her off the ship.

"Don't forget Sparrow, I expect ye to be back at dawn!" Barbossa yelled from behind them. They flat out ignored him and kept walking in hopes to get lost in the crowded streets, as they had no intentions of returning.

* * *

**A/N Good? Bad? yes, no, maybe so? lol, well the good news about how long I took to post this is that I have most of the next chapters written. :) **

**Anyways, thank you all and please feel free the leave a review, or pm me with any thoughts or suggestions. XD**


	39. Chapter 43

**A/N I'm still alive! Sorry for the wait, but life got in the way, and it appears as if it will continue to do so. Thank you all so much for your kind reviews, you all are so awesome! **

**If the suspense hasn't killed you already, this chapter should be very enjoyable, if I do say so myself. Sorry that it's so long, but I couldn't make myself stop...*begs for forgiveness*...I feel it's worth reading though. So thank you to those who have reached this point. :D**

**Also, because this is where they 'reconvene' so to speak, I switched to referring to future Angelica as Angie, and past/present Angelica as Angelica. ;) I hope you don't get too confused. **

**Anyways, wait no longer, please...read on!**

* * *

The voyage had been less than eventful. She tried to help out wherever she could even though Elizabeth had reminded her that she wasn't part of the crew and therefore wasn't required to work. She didn't mind though, it helped her think more about what she would do when she saw Jack again. She figured it wouldn't be long, and she had a few choice words for him. Knowing him, he would avoid any accusations on himself and blame her for everything. Perhaps she would be happier when they arrived, which wouldn't be much longer, as she could already see the lights of the port from their position. By the time they docked, the sun was low in the sky and it was growing steadily darker. The dock wasn't overly crowded, but there were few larger ships that had quite a few people loading and unloading. At one point she thought she noticed the Revenge, but it was getting dark, and she couldn't quite tell. She decided it couldn't have been especially if they had gone to Shipwreck Cove, they would have no reason to stop here.  
"Hey Angelica, everything's pretty much wrapped up here, ready to go?" Elizabeth said as she came to stand next to her.  
"Sure" She agreed.  
"Great" Elizabeth smiled. "Daniel, Cristina, come on"

"Okay, okay, I'm coming." Daniel grinned on his way down from the quarterdeck followed by Cristina.

Everyone who wanted to go to shore had already left, leaving two of the crew to guard the ship.

They walked off the dock, and up the crowded street. There was music and singing, and a lot of drinking. The air was stale and reeked of sweat and alcohol. As they walked, Elizabeth tried to determine which of the taverns Jack would most likely be in if he were to be there at all. Angelica was just taking in the familiar surroundings. She remembered why she didn't ever go there.

The only tavern Elizabeth recognized was the Faithful Bride. It was the one she had found James Norrington in all those years ago before he was killed. She thought of him sometimes and how untimely his death was. How he helped her, and treated her like a lady. She resented the fact that he denied having any knowledge of her father's death, but then again, Becket was evil and manipulative, he may truly not have known. She put on a smile and forced those memories out of her mind. She turned to Angelica.  
"Shall we go have a drink?"  
She didn't wait for a reply before she started weaving her way through the crowd towards a table near the back of the tavern. She knew that Jack Sparrow was infamous in this port and if he was here, everyone would know it.  
Angelica, Cristina, and Daniel were still struggling to get through the crowd so she took this opportunity to get some information.  
She stopped a passing waitress.  
"Pardon me, may I help you?" The lady asked.  
"Yes, I'm looking for a Jack Sparrow, seen him around?"  
"Sparrow" She said, a dreamy tone in her voice as if she knew him well. "I 'avnt seen 'im in a few months now, let me ask one of the gents"  
"Oi, Johnny! Seen Sparrow around 'ere?"  
A man looked up from his drink. "Sparrow? I 'eard he came to port earlier this evenin. I ain't seen 'im, but the rumors round 'ere is he's got a new lady, won't let no one near 'er, nor does she show 'er face. Some say he's plannin on marryin 'er. She must be mighty fine, if she's got Sparrow to fall for 'er like that"  
"The lady, do you know her name, by chance?" Elizabeth questioned.  
The man eyed her skeptically.  
"I don't know, I ain't seen 'im to ask. What's he to ya anyways, lookin for yer chance to get up and close to Sparrow is it?"  
"No, I have unfinished business with him that needs to be taken care of" She said defensively.  
"Well, if ya get the chance, send 'im this way, he owes me some money"  
"Thanks for your help." Elizabeth said before turning to join the others around the table. Now she was confused, and there was only one person who could help her understand exactly what she had just heard, but she had to find him first.

* * *

"No, no, I don't believe you. There is no way you are better than me at sword fighting" Jack protested playfully before taking another swig of rum.  
"I am too, and you just can't admit that you aren't the best at everything." Angie said smugly.  
"Perhaps, however, I clearly beat you in the diplomacy department. You couldn't keep your cool if you were covered in ice."  
"Ha, diplomacy, you mean finding the fastest and easiest way to get what you want at the cost of everyone else?"  
"Oi, now now, it may seem as if I don't think 'bout what's best fer others, but that is where yer mistaken. More often than not I find meself doin somethin, likely for myself, that ends up helpin others as well. Mutual benefits as I like to think of it." He grinned.  
"Mutual benefits?" She was cracking up.  
Her laugh was infectious. He was going to answer her again but ended up laughing instead. They had both had a couple of drinks and were just enjoying each others company. They were sitting at a table in the back of the King's Arms tavern on the opposite side of the street to the Faithful Bride tavern where Angie had mentioned was where Elizabeth decides to go.  
"I still think I could beat you in a sword fight, if our last one on one duel was any indication" She said before taking another sip of her rum.  
"Our last duel? As I recall, you were pretending to be me, so how exactly does that help your argument?"  
"I may have had a disguise on, but I was still using my own skill as a swordsman."  
"And that skill got you where? I am fairly certain I won that fight"  
"Because you cheated" She retorted.  
"What? How?" He may be a pirate, but he isn't always bending the rules.  
"If remember, I received a pleasant kiss at the end of that scuffle, and that my dear Jack, is against the rules" She said lightheartedly.  
"Kissing someone isn't cheating, especially if it's you" He chuckled.  
"Oh yes, in a sword fight it is, you ignored to rules of a fair fight and caught me off guard"  
"If I caught you off guard, then it was your fault" He said.  
"Then perhaps we should have a rematch" She challenged.  
"Oh no no, I am not going to fight you"  
"Oh come on, are you afraid I'm going to beat you?" She teased.  
"No!...I just don't want to hurt you" He said as seriously as he could, placing a hand over hers that was resting on the table.  
"Well, then we'll just have to be careful, right?" She pulled her hand away from him.  
"Fine, but this really is pointless, we both know who will win" He smirked leaning back again. "That would be me"  
"I don't think so, but..." She pulled the bottle of rum out of Jack's hand. "We have to go"  
"Come on, at least let me finish it.." He whined.  
"No, lets go, we have to be on time" They both got up to leave and shuffled their way through the crowded building. She hadn't had that much to drink, but she was feeling a bit light headed. She stopped and stumbled backwards into Jack who caught her before she fell to the ground.  
"Alright there?" He looked down at her.  
"Yeah, I'm fine." She said straightening herself out. He looked at her cautiously. "Lets just go, we can't miss them"  
"Alright, just next time, I'll be the one payin attention to how much you drink"  
"Haha, very funny, but I don't think it's that" She said lightly.  
He could see she was still uneasy, but he wasn't going to make her ask for help, so he just put his arm around her waist to keep her steady. They made their way into the other tavern across the way.  
"'Ere, take a seat" He pulled out a bar stool for her to sit on. "Oi Thomas you filthy dog, get the lady some water" He demanded to the familiar man behind the counter.  
"She not good at holdin er liquor eh?" The man said.  
"Generally yes, one of my personal favorite persons to drink with. Why she's sick, I've no idea. However, I think water would do er good" The man named Thomas nodded.  
"Take this off" Jack pulled the black fabric off her face. She held her head in her hands and rested her elbows on the bar.  
"Don't you be sick on me now"  
"I'm- fine really"  
The man returned with a glass of water. "Thank ye very much" Jack nodded.  
"Sure thing Jack. What brings ye this time to Tortuga?"  
"Oh nothin much, just lookin for some acquaintances" He answered.  
"Anyone in particular? I see ye already found yerself a wench. Quite a pretty one too" Thomas said eyeing Angie who rolled her eyes.  
In an instant Jack's expression grew dark and without a second thought, he drew his pistol and held it eye level. "She is not a wench, and by God, if ye say that again ye'll be dead b'fore the words come out of yer mouth" Had she been feeling better, she would have been ecstatic to hear Jack defend her integrity like that, but she would have to thank him later.  
"Sorry, didn't mean to offend ye, I-I just thought- well, I mean you usually-"Thomas said quickly. "Nevermind. Who was it you were looking for again?"  
"Jack-" Angie moaned next to him, tugging on his arm. She felt like she was going to be sick.  
He set his pistol on the counter and sat down next to her. Generally, he didn't like to show that he cared too much in public, but he would make an exception. He allowed her to lean on him and rest her eyes.  
"Uh..." He was distracted. "There should be a party of four, one man and three women"  
"Strange combination, ain't it?"  
He ignored that statement. "But have you seen them? One of them is her identical twin sister, another is a thin, tallish, blonde English girl, and the other a slightly shorter brunette, a European, from Spain or something. The man about my height, heavy muscle structure. Seen any of them mate?"  
The man took a moment to think. "Aye, ye know what I think I did see em come in 'ere, not to long ago" He pointed to the back of the place. "There the are"

Jack turned slightly to look, and sure enough there they were, there _she _was. He felt his stomach twist. He glanced back at Thomas who was still standing there. "Oi, you 'appen to see Gibbs round 'ere by any chance?"

"Now 'im for sure I saw come in 'ere. Been in for quite some time. There he is right there" He pointed to the other side of the place where the all too recognizable Gibbs was leaning back in his chair guzzling down a bottle of rum. Near him was the not so comfortable looking Aaron. Jack couldn't see his face, he just assumed it was him.

A slight tugging on his arm made him turn back around to look at Angie. She looked better, but still not as well as he would like.

"In a sec, Elizabeth is going to get up for some drinks" She mumbled. Sure enough she was right and Elizabeth started coming their direction.

"You sure yer up fer this, cause I could just as easily do this myself." Concern dripping from his words.

She smiled weakly and nodded while pulling the black fabric mask over her face. He wasn't convinced but they were out of time.  
"Good, then lets see what she's up to, although, we should take her outside for a talk"

They both got up and looped around in the opposite direction and approached the bar from the other side.  
"A whiskey and three rums" They heard her order to the bartender. The man nodded and left her waiting there.  
Jack took this as his chance. He walked up and stood right next to her, and Angie went to stand on her other side.  
"This ain't a nice place to be for a lady such as yerself." He said, the distinction of his voice muffled by their surroundings.  
"And I'm sure you would know where a better place would be?" Elizabeth retorted without even looking to see who he was.  
He rolled his eyes. "In fact we do, come on" That was the signal to Angie who grabbed her hand on her other side. Before Elizabeth could say anything, or even see who it was, her arm was grabbed from her left side and she was being pulled through crowd to the outside of the pub by a hooded person. She struggled to get free of the hooded figure, but she couldn't. Whoever it was had a strong grip.  
She was being pushed gently from behind so she couldn't turn around to see who was there.  
"Let go of me!" She cried.  
"Calm down luv, we ain't gunna 'urt you" Jack said from behind her.  
He sounded familiar to her, but the noise of the crowd around them made it nearly impossible for her to recognise.  
"I'm married, my husband will come after you if you hurt me" She threatened.  
"He's not that scary luv"  
"You probably don't even know him!"  
"The hell I don't. Angie let go of 'er" He said once they were outside and away from the crowd of people. She nodded and let her go.  
Elizabeth spun around ready to slap who ever was right behind her, in the face, not caring who it was, but he caught her wrist inches from his face.  
"Ah ah ah, now that's no way to greet a friend"  
"Jack?" She said confused.  
She blinked at him. Finally realizing and accepting who he was, she hugged him the way any friend would after a long time.  
"Yes, sorry bout that, but we needed to talk to ye" She pushed herself away from him.  
"So you thought you would just drag me outside? You could have just said something"  
"Well, we didn't want certain people knowing about our conversation, savvy"  
"Who is with you?" She asked referring to Angie who still had her face hidden and was standing slightly behind Jack.  
"At the moment she is of no importance to you." He said. "Now about you then, what the bloody hell are you doing here?!"  
"Me?! What about you?!"  
"Oh no, you are not turning this against me, you better start explaining!" He barked.  
"No Jack, not this time." She turned to go back inside.  
"Jack we need your ship, you better say something. You can't just let her walk away!" Angie said from behind him. Elizabeth thought she recognized who she was, but that was impossible so she pushed that thought out of her mind and kept on walking.  
"Alright fine, she'll come back over here for sure" He replied before yelling after Elizabeth. "Well then Elizabeth, have a jolly good time without Will for a few more years. I can only imagine how much your son will appreciate that." He grinned, but it turned into a frown when Elizabeth, sure enough, came marching back up to him.  
"Do not speak to me about Will" She snapped.  
"Well, I feel we can make an agreement here. I help you free bloody Will, and you 'elp me get my ship and find some all powerful treasure" He stuck out his hand to her she just looked at it.  
"How could you possibly help him?!"  
"I'm still workin on it, but it is possible" He turned to Angie for some reassurance.  
"Yes Elizabeth, it is possible"  
"Excuse me, do I know you, you sound familiar. What's your name?"  
Jack glanced at Angie. "No, you don't know each other, not at all, not in the slightest."  
"Angie, the name's Angie" She stated.  
"That's short for Angelica I'd imagine" Angie nodded. She was completely appalled. "You-Jack how could you?!"  
He was momentarily confused, looking back and forth between them, but he caught on. "No, Elizabeth it's not like that. You don't understand..."  
"Oh, I think I do, and you're going to have a hard time convincing me or anyone else otherwise." Damnit, he should have thought of this situation and the unbelievable explanation, why didn't he?  
"I know, but you wouldn't believe me if I did. Please, Lizzy, don't tell Angelica. Not yet." He pleaded.  
"Don't tell me what exactly?!" He closed his eyes and he took a deep breath before he turned around. Angelica walked up to them followed by Daniel and Cristina. She glared harshly at Jack.  
" 'Ello what a pleasant surprise seein you all here"  
"Oh, I'm sure it is" Angelica rolled her eyes.  
"Elizabeth and friends would you excuse us for a moment" He grumbled.  
Angie nodded, she wished Jack the best in dealing with her past self. Jack glanced at her briefly before he took Angelica's hand and walked her a few paces away.  
She jerked her hand away from him. "What do you think you are doing here!"  
"Oi, trust me, if I didn't have to be here, I wouldn't be, especially around you, goodness no, but I don't have a choice now do I"  
"How dare you talk to me like that after what you put me through" She slapped him in the face and he glanced back at Angie who covered her eyes in disappointment in her past self.  
"Don't look at her! Who is she anyways!"  
"Can't tell ye darlin."  
"Don't call me that! And why not!"  
"Just because, ye wouldn't believe me anyways"  
"I see how it is, you replaced me after you had me dragged off of the Revenge. I'm just another woman to you, I don't mean anything to you!"  
"No, it isn't like that. Why don't you just trust me, and understand that keeping you away from me is in your best interest"  
"I don't trust you for a second"  
"Oh come on, I saved your life on countless occasions does that mean nothing?"  
"Right now, yes" She responded coldly.  
"Fair enough, but don't you know that I only care for you?" He said a bit softer.  
"No, damnit Jack enough lies!"  
"I'm not lyin...since you, there hasn't been anyone else" Technically he was telling the truth. He was quite sure that even being with her future self it still counted as her. He tried to hold eye contact with her, but she looked away.  
"Now that is a lie, because you have someone else with you right now!"  
"That is true. But I do not love her, and our relationship is strictly business."  
"Right...then why don't you explain who she is, and her relationship to your 'business'!"  
"No, I don't think I will. You are not in a well enough mood for that"  
"Shut up Jack don't make this about me!"  
"Oh, but it already is. It is all about you, because everything has to be about you. If it doesn't pertain to you, it doesn't matter, and you know it"  
"It sounds more like you are describing yourself!"  
"You stole my ship, you are jumping to conclusions that are in no way true, and you are accusing me of lying to you for no good reason, so let's re-evaluate shall we?" He said. "I lied to you only once today, and that was that it wasn't good to see you again" His tone softer.  
"I don't believe you"  
"Then don't, but just listen to me, because I know you're upset at how things ended last time"  
"You think?! Well, go on then"  
"Firstly, Yes I did in fact have Will promise to remove you from the Revenge and my company, but it was only for your safety. Secondly, I swear on my life that I did not have any relations with anyone, nor did I want to"  
"Is that all?"  
"No...thirdly, I found new information regarding my familial past as well as the treasure that _you _failed to mention to me"  
"And do you know why?" She interrupted him.  
"Not a clue, care to explain?"  
"No, anything else?" She asked pointedly avoiding his question. She kept her eyes looking over his shoulder so she didn't have to see the look in his eyes.

"Yes. Lastly, for the moment anyways…" He felt like his heart was going to beat out of his chest if she continued to avoid his gaze. He hated talking to her like this. He closed his eyes and clenched his teeth, before releasing his breath and gazing back at her. "Although I lie to you, and even though it may seem as though I don't care, you have to understand that you couldn't be farther from the truth. I do those things with you in mind, to protect you, to keep you safe. Being with me will not keep you safe."  
There was silence for a few moments that felt like an eternity. He watched her face, and if even for a fraction of a second, he thought he saw her expression soften ever so slightly.

He put his hands on her shoulder and she snapped her eyes back to him. He could feel her tense, but he did not remove his hands. He looked her right in the eye. "You have to understand this. I would go to the ends of the Earth to see you smile. I would destroy anyone who hurt you. For you I would do anything. Just know that" He released her with that final sentimental thought hanging in the air between them. For a moment she appeared to be processing his words and trying to come to terms with them, but just as quickly as her expression had softened, her eyes turned cold again as she glared back at him. .

"And I suppose you expect me to forgive you, just like that?!" She snapped her fingers.

"No, I don't. I don't expect you to ever forgive me for all that I've done to you" He sighed.

She was silent. She hadn't expected that response. She thought for a moment, trying to chose her words carefully, but then realized that she was still mad at him, and since he surely expected some response, she would give him one. As long he felt she was still mad at him, he was at her mercy, so to speak.

"Good cause I don't" She answered. She almost felt bad that she had chosen to answer him like that, completely taking the sentiment out of everything he had just said to her.

"Fine, but if that's how you want it to be, so be it" He surrendered. "But Just so you know, I won't leave until I have my ship and the doll back" He said disappointed that he couldn't just walk away at that moment.  
"Ha, you think I would just willingly give them back to you?! Think again"  
"Bloody woman" He grumbled. "Now I will only be saying this once more, hand over my ship!"  
"Why should I?!" She practically yelled. Elizabeth and Cristina both turned around to look at them.  
"Because if you don't I'll…"

"You'll what? What will you do?" She asked pointedly knowing he wouldn't hurt her. "Are you going to threaten to kill me? Are you going to shoot me? What would you do?"

"Absolutely nothing, I will leave your life just as I had planned." He said gravely serious. It was so unexpected to hear that tone in his voice that her breathing hitched. She looked into his eyes, but they were cold and unforgiving. She looked away as he continued. "If it makes you happy that I'm gone, then so be it. It's only a ship...after all." He said trying to control his emotions. He struggled to keep his features as unchanged and neutral as possible when he told her these last words. "This is it, the end. But just know this last thing, the next time you find yourself in a precarious situation with you standing atop a cliff. I will not be there to jump off it for you" He backed up a few steps from her so she could process those final words.

How dare he?! She wasn't sure if she wanted to cry, or if she wanted to scream, or both. What she knew was that she was filled with anger and resentment for every single word he had said to her, and the fact that she might lose him again because of her self righteous attitude was mind numbing, but she wasn't going to break in front of him. There was no way that she would give him the satisfaction of seeing her cry.  
"Go to Hell!" Was all she could manage, she closed the gap between them again, forcing her hand into sharp contact with his face. His cheek stung, but he did not flinch or allow any emotion to cross his face. He just watched her sorrowfully as several conflicting emotions made their way across her smooth features. He wished he could comfort her at that moment, but he just stood there.  
"I'm sure we both will, but not before I get me ship back" He said nonchalantly. With those words, anger became the prominent emotion on her face again and he knew she was going to slap him again, but he wouldn't allow that. She swiftly lifted her hand again, but he caught her wrist and pulled her closer to him so they were only inches apart. A look of hatred, disappointment, and anger equal to her own flashed dangerously in his eyes. "Twice is quite enough darlin" He growled. With that gave her what seemed like a light shove away from him, but in reality was strong enough to end her up on the ground.

Both Cristina and Elizabeth rushed to her side to help her up, while Jack stood there over her, the look fiery anger and resentment in his cold eyes. Angelica was just about to pull her sword on Jack for that, but Angie stepped in front of her. Jack stepped back, upset that he had done that to her, but he knew she wasn't hurt so he didn't feel so bad.

"You have quite the attitude Angelica." Angie spat at her. "You better watch it or you are going to make your future your own personal and very lonely hell. I'm surprised he let you go that far actually."

"Who the hell are you?" Angelica hissed as she ripped her arms out of the grasps of both Elizabeth and Cristina.

"I'm someone you should but won't trust, and who knows your life better than you." Angie said cryptically.

"As far as I'm concerned you can go to hell with him!" She pulled out her sword about to strike Angie, but was surprised when her attack was blocked. Both Elizabeth and Cristina backed up not wanting to get caught in this sword fight. Elizabeth looked to Jack who looked as if he were weighing his options.

Angelica and Angie were locked in an epic battle, parrying and blocking, attacking and defending. They were about evenly matched, however Angie had better technique, while Angelica had slightly more agility. Angie had no intention to harm her younger self, and was careful not to come in direct contact with her, but she was becoming increasingly frustrated with her younger self's unrelenting attacks.

Jack knew neither would surrender, and he knew that Angie was on his side, so if he chose to get in this fight he would be fighting Angelica. Just then Angelica kicked Angie in the shin causing her to stumble backwards. He was afraid that if she was still feeling unwell that she might faint or something so he immediately rushed to catch her before she hit the hard ground. He pulled her back a few step before he dropped her when he dodged a blow from Angelica. He hoped he didn't hurt Angie when he dropped her, but he would have to ask later. He didn't bother to get his sword, not that he couldn't win this fight, but there was a war going on between them so he had to choose the fights to win and the ones to lose. This was one to lose.

"You're anger is directed at me, don't waste your energy with her, come at me" He said gesturing to himself as he stepped away from Angie.

"You can't win" She stepped up to him pressing the sword against his throat.

Elizabeth and Cristina were going to pull her away from him, but Angie had pushed herself to her feet and stopped them. They gave her a confused look and she just shook her head.

"I wont fight you" Jack said. "And you don't have the nerve to kill me!"

"Don't I?" She pressed it a little harder into his skin causing a stream blood to spill onto the blade. He clenched his teeth, but other than that his features remained unchanged. She wasn't sure what angered her more, his words, or his lack of reaction.

"I would die for you, even if you were the one holding the sword" He stated, standing his ground.

"I am the one holding the sword" She corrected.

"Go on...do it...is it not what you think I deserve" He encouraged as much as he could with the pressure on his neck, knowing, or hoping rather, that she wouldn't do it. "You killed me once you can do it again, but this would be the last time." He barely managed to choke out. It was working. He never took his eyes off hers and just watched the flashes of different emotions dance across her face. He could tell she remembered. "You should...have left me...dead" He coughed.

She dropped the sword at that, barely missing his feet and backed up.

He immediately brought his hands to his neck trying to stop the blood. Angie rushed over to him, but he waved her off.

"Jack if you don't get that stitched up, you will have a scar" She said hastily.

He payed her little attention. He was still keeping his eye contact with Angelica. "That's alright darlin" He said sweetly to Angie. "I want a scar. As a reminder." He waited to see the look of horror crossover Angelica's face before he finally turned his attention to Angie.

"Well, at least put something over it to stop the bleeding." She pleaded. "Here, take this" She was about to pull her black mask off, but he stopped her with a pointed look. She removed her bandana instead.

He returned his gaze over her shoulder back to Angelica who was just watching them. Elizabeth and Cristina were trying to explain to Daniel what had just happened. Jack flinched at the touch of Angie's smooth hands against his neck, but relaxed. When she was done he looked back down at her.

"There, you should be good for now, but I still think you should let me stitch that up for you." She said concerned.

"No thanks luv, you've been more than helpful today. However, if it would make you feel better, you can take a look at it later." He said softly before kissing her on the cheek. He looked up and he could have sworn he saw a look of pure jealousy pass over Angelica's face, but he didn't really care. She had just ignored every meaningful thing he had said to her, and for that, she did not deserve his sympathy at the moment.

"You were feeling sick earlier, are you feeling any better?" He asked Angie seriously.

"Better, but I still feel a little light headed." She responded.

"How's your leg?"

She moved her clothing out of the way to reveal a purplish bruise covering most of her shin. His stomach clenched and his blood boiled. If it had been someone other than her own past self that had done that damage to her, he would have killed them on the spot. He wasn't going to physically hurt her, but he could probably stand to play with her emotions, at least a little for what she did.

"That doesn't look too good" He surmised. "Can you still walk darlin?"

"Jack I'm standing aren't I? I can walk" She responded.

"Well that's good, for a moment I thought I would have to carry you" He said playfully.

"Well now that you mention it, I don't know if I can make it" She said in a similar tone.

"We can't have that" A spark of deviousness in his eye. "I shall be right back for you luv."

He stepped around her and passed Angelica who was giving him a questioning look that he ignored. He walked up to Elizabeth and Cristina, interrupting their conversation.

"Elizabeth, think about what I said. You help me, I help you. We will be at your ship, whenever it is you decide to go back" He said turning away from them.

"I will think about it, but do you know what ship is mine?" She got a quizzical look from every person there besides Jack, who just looked back, amused.

"The Crystal Dawn, two and half masts, fairly small, fairly fast" He replied with a grin.

"How did you-" She asked.

"I have my ways." He smirked. "Speaking of my ways, it appears that she is getting rather impatient." He turned once again.

He reached Angie again and allowed her to wrap her arm around his neck. "Now how did you say your leg was?" He said deviously.

"Not good" She smiled against him as he lifted her off the ground. She knew how this would look to her younger self, but she also knew that her jealousy would be one of the only ways to get to her, so she played along. Not that she had to pretend that this was anything other than what she wanted. She kissed him on the cheek as he carried her away from them. She looked back and saw the look she expected to see adorned all over Angelica's face.

He held her tightly to him, and she rested her head on his chest. She could hear, feel, his heartbeat. It was like a sweet music that she could listen to forever. She closed her eyes, and actually managed to fall asleep in his arms. She woke up to him setting her down on a hammock below decks of the small ship. He sat down next to her and it didn't surprise her that he had already found himself a bottle of rum.

She was, however, surprised that he had actually carried her all the way back to the ship and had expected him to set her down after getting out of their line of sight, but he didn't.

She now expected him to leave her, or go back to the upper deck, but he didn't. He sat there and leaned against a crate. She hadn't asked him to stay, but he did as if she had. She wanted to know what he was thinking, but he was on the other side of her and she couldn't see his face. She rolled over, clearly giving away that she was awake.

"Jack-" She whispered.

He looked down at her, a calm smile on his lips. "Shh, Sleep" He leaned down and kissed her forehead.

"But-"

"Rest, I'll be right 'ere" He said softly. "Tomorrow is goin to be very interestin, and I would feel better knowin ye actually got some sleep"

* * *

**A/N So yes? No? I hope you enjoyed it, and I will attempt to update soon, but with final exams coming up, and States, I'll be busy. I will get it done as fast as possible. Feel free to review, I do so love to read them. :D**


	40. Chapter 44

**A/N Hi again, sorry its been a while, but here is the next chapter! Unfortunately it is not as action packed or dramatic as the last chapter, but I hope it's tolerable. Thank you to everyone who has read to this point, you all are awesome! Also, I didn't spend that much time editing this, so I apologize now for any and all mistakes. **

**Please enjoy... :)**

* * *

Why did she have to be so temperamental? Things had not gone according to plan and he was irritated. Why couldn't Angelica just have accepted his apology? Granted he didn't do a good job of explaining himself, but there was no reason for her to be that upset. He couldn't sleep, and he didn't really want to. It had been almost an hour since Angie had fallen asleep, and here he was left all alone. He couldn't take it anymore, his mind was reeling and he needed some air. He pulled a blanket up around her, and covered her face gently with the black fabric incase anyone was to catch her sleeping. He stretched his limbs as he stood up. He took one last glance at Angie's sleeping form before he went to the main deck. The air was cool, and there was a soft breeze. He stood leaning against the rail, facing the open sea.  
He needed his ship, and for that he needed Angelica to give it to him. His neck was throbbing with a slight stinging pain from the cut he had sustained from a very unhappy Angelica. He ran his fingers gently over the bandana still tied around his neck. Why couldn't she have just killed him? Then at least he wouldn't have to deal with her anymore. Why was she so-  
"Jack"  
He breathed a sigh, although he wasn't sure of it was because she wasn't Angelica or because he was no longer alone. He didn't need to turn around to know it was Elizabeth. She came to stand next to him and he shifted so he could look at her.  
"Ello luv," He glanced around the rest of the ship expecting to see the others, but quickly saw that she had come back alone. He looked back at her trying to read the mixed emotions displayed across her face. "Where is everybody?"  
"Well, after your little argument, Angelica is about to drink herself into oblivion. I ran into Gibbs and Aaron on my way back, I told him to join us in the morning. Daniel is trying to keep tabs on the crew and Cristina is hopefully still with Angelica, but no doubt she won't be able to get her back to the ship herself" She said in a few exasperated breaths.**  
"**Now that truly is a tragedy" He scoffed.  
"Jack, you have no idea how hurt she is" She said pointedly. Jack sighed again and glanced back at the sea if only a moment before he looked at her again.  
"You're right, I don't. But whose fault is that? Is it mine because she doesn't talk to me? Is it everyone's for lying to her all the time so she has no one to trust? Or is it hers for remaining in our company? Whose fault is it really?" He said slowly.  
"I don't-" She didn't know how to answer that. She could hardly tell if he wanted an answer, but he didn't give her a chance to think about it before he continued.  
"I'll tell you whose fault this is. I admit some responsibility rests on my shoulders, but do not think you are free from fault as well, I know you, Cristina, and Will lied to her as well, and have yet to come clean about it" His gaze was fixed on hers and it made her nervous. His eyes were cold and shadowed. His tone was knowingly accusing, but not sharp. She was not sure what to say.  
"How did you know?" She managed quietly.  
"I'll was told"  
"By who, who could have possibly told you that without having been there?" She was confused, but something clicked. There was someone with him earlier. "Where is she?" She asked hesitantly.  
"Where is who?" He knew very well who she was talking about, but he did not want to start on that subject.  
"Don't play dumb, where is she, and who is she?" She raised her voice, but his expression never changed.  
"She's sleeping, and as for who, I'd rather not say"  
"Then I'll ask her myself" She went to walk past him, but he stopped her.  
"No, not now. In good time, it will make sense why her identity is a secret" He so desperately wanted to change the subject and distract her, but this was Elizabeth Turner, not much could stop her from her goals.  
"But I don't understand"  
"I know, and neither do I, but that isn't why you came back alone tonight, what did you really want to talk about?" He knew she had been avoiding her real reason for coming back since the very beginning of the conversation.  
"Can you save Will?" She asked quietly looking up at him.  
"I believe so."  
"Okay, I'll help you get your ship back, and I'll help you with whatever you need to find this treasure or whatever it is. But you have to get her back here yourself, and you have to fix things with her. I don't care what kind of resolution you two reach, but I can't have you fighting or ignoring each other all the time"  
"Deal" He agreed without hesitation.  
"Oh, and also, you have to tell me who your 'friend' is...right now"  
"...you won't believe me, but alright, come on, just don't wake her" He said as he made his way back down the stairs to the lower deck.  
He sat down on the crate next to her hammock with Elizabeth standing behind him looking down at the sleeping woman.  
Carefully, Jack pulled the blankets down slightly and removed the black fabric from her face. She stirred slightly and hummed at his touch against her face.  
"Shh, Sleep darlin, I'll wake you in the mornin" He whispered softly**.**

"Don't-go-I'm-sorry-mmm-Jack-she-still-loves-you-" She murmured quietly, still not awake.  
Jack looked up at Elizabeth who was looking very confused. He pulled the blankets back up around Angie and put the mask back over her face. She shifted slightly and continued sleeping.  
Elizabeth was still shocked, she grabbed Jack's wrist and practically dragged him back up to the main deck.  
When they were alone again she spoke. "You better start explaining"  
"You see why it is too hard to explain? She's from the future, and yes she has provided some information. It was no coincidence that we met you here this evening."  
"I thought - I thought you-" She stuttered before throwing her arms around him. He was surprised and confused so he just stood there.  
"Ehm, what was that for?"  
"You aren't as much of a bastard as I thought" She smiled up at him.  
"Thanks, er I guess."  
"So I assume you were telling the truth then earlier"  
"Almost every word that came out of me mouth was the truth." He said casually.  
"So are you going to tell her?"  
"I'll have to eventually, but I want my ship back first. She isn't going to believe me and I dont want to fight her. The future Angelica still has more information that could be useful, granted she already messed up the timeline, but still, there is more I need to know."  
Timelines, future, multiples of one person, this was too much for her to comprehend. She wasn't even going to try, she just decided to let him deal with it.  
"Okay, I tell you what, you go get her, convince her to give you your ship, you get it out of that bottle, and until you feel like it's necessary, future Angelica can remain aboard my ship whilst you and our Angelica are aboard your ship. I'll also spare a few crewmen to help sail the Pearl. Sound good?"  
"Sounds delightful, where did ya say she was again?" He asked.  
"She should still be at the Faithful Bride where I left her." She said thoughtfully.  
"Okay, I'll go fetch her then, just don't wake up the other one, she can't know yet that you know it's her." He said seriously before walking away.  
"Okay" She agreed. "Oh and Jack...good luck"  
He nodded and sauntered off the ship.

It didn't take him long to get back to the tavern. He scanned the place for where Angelica was drinking herself away, but before he could get further into the building he felt a sharp tug on his arm. He spun around quickly only to see a very distressed looking Cristina. Her hair was everywhere and she had a drink stain all down her front and a small cut on her cheek.  
"Jack!"  
"Oi, you look like hell" He stated, looking her up and down.  
"I feel like it too, thanks to you"  
"Nevermind that, where is she?"  
For a second she looked confused but then pointed to a table at the far back of the place where Angelica was sitting all by herself with three empty bottles and one that was still half full of rum.  
He grimaced, this was not going to go well and he prefered if no one he knew well was there to witness it. He turned back to Cristina who was wiping the blood off her face.  
"Go back to the ship." He commanded softly.  
"What? She won't let you near her" She stated matter-of-factly.  
"I know, but I have to resolve this." He said. "Go back to the ship, get cleaned up and go to sleep."  
"Jack, I'm not leavi-" She protested before he interrupted her.  
"Look, you tried already, obviously you can't handle her like this. So what help are you to me? We have a journey ahead of us, and you are of no use to anyone, least of all yourself, if you are exhausted." She didn't move.  
"Again, go, clean up and get some sleep. I'll make sure she makes it back to the ship tonight" He said softer.  
She nodded silently and left the crowded tavern. After watching her leave, he turned his attention to Angelica who was still drinking away.  
He walked up to her carefully, not wanting to surprise her. He pulled up a chair and sat right next to her, his legs barely brushing past hers.  
She took one look at him and turned away**.**

"Go away" She spat viciously.  
"No." He said softly. "Come back to the ship with me"  
"With you-? I don't think so" She hissed. She lifted the bottle to her lips, but to her surprise, Jack stopped her. She glared at him but he maintained eye contact with her. His features calm and controlled, he studied every twitch and movement in her face and eyes.  
"Enough. Enough of this, you don't need it" He gently pried the bottle from her hand and set it on the table behind him. She wanted to protest, but she was too drunk to stop him.  
It pained him to see her like this. He never wanted to hurt her, she just made it so difficult not to fight with her all the time.  
She couldn't handle his calm demeanor and gentle eyes any longer. She looked away from him. She shuddered when she felt his rough hands on hers. She tried to pull away, but he held her hands firmly while still maintaining a comforting feeling. She shifted her gaze up at him, her eyes were glossy and brimming with unshed tears.  
He could see she wasn't in her right frame of mind, but he wouldn't use that as a way to get close to her again. For that, he would have to wait until she was sober, but for now he just wanted to be near her, and for her to feel as safe as possible with him.  
"Lets go for a walk" He said calmly. He stood and offered her a hand, but she stood by herself ignoring him.  
"Uh, well then lets go" He said walking a few paces away before turning to judge just how drunk she was. She took one uneasy step before stumbling forward. Jack, luckily for her, had expected as much and caught her. He helped straighten her out and she looked as if she were going to argue but Jack beat her to it.  
"Don't. You don't have to like it, and you don't have to talk to me, but just accept the help you are given when someone is willing to give it. Come on" She glared at him, but he just smiled warmly at her and put an arm around her waist.  
They walked out of the tavern, but she was somewhat surprised when they walked passed the docks and towards the beach.  
Neither of them spoke. Jack was too busy trying to figure out what to say and Angelica was still too drunk to come up with any coherent thoughts so they just walked on.  
"Of all of the nights I have seen, this is one of the most serene." He muttered softly.  
She didn't respond. He inhaled and glanced down at her. She was looking off into the distance, at the rolling waves, lapping up onto the shore. The air was salty, and the breeze was soft against their backs as they continued walking away from the noise and crowds of the main port.  
"I'm sorry, you know" He said finally, not expecting her to remember any of this and certainly not expecting any answer.  
She looked up at him confused, waiting for him to continue.  
"I didn't mean for this to happen. We were both supposed to move on and be free of each other. I was trying to do you a favor by leaving you on that island, and since then I have been trying to fix the situation." She was still trying to understand what he was saying, but she couldn't, her mind was too fuzzy with the effects of the alcohol. She looked away from him again.  
He wished she would say something, anything. He knew she was listening, but he wanted her to talk to him.  
"I've tried to stop fighting our relationship, I do care for you, but it's dangerous. I have enemies, and feelings can get people killed" He said seriously.  
She still wasn't going to answer him. So he stopped walking and turned her to face him. She looked at him. "I will not let you get killed because of me, because I-I love you" He said trying to get his point across. She showed no sign of having even heard him, but he didn't care, he pulled her close to him and held her in a tight embrace. He was glad she didn't resist.  
He felt her arms wrap around him and it made him feel good, but he knew she was drunk enough to not remember any of what was said this evening. He knew he would have to go through this all again when she was sober and it would be nowhere near as easy.  
He let her go, but they did didn't move.  
"We can't just walk away. The ship is back that way, and _our_ ship is still in that bottle." He practically whispered. "Care if we turn around and walk back" They had been walking for almost an hour along the beach and the stars were bright in the sky, and the moon's light reflected off the soft waves.  
She looked up at him again and nodded.

So, they did. They followed the path that they had made in the sand all the way back.  
She still hadn't said anything to him, but her demeanor was more relaxed and she leaned into him allowing him to support her. They hadn't made it halfway before she just stopped walking. He stopped to see why she had stopped. She had sat down on the cool sand and looked over the sea.  
She was dead tired and he could see it. Even in the poor light, the dark rings under her eyes were clearly visible against her soft tan skin.  
It was clear that she wasn't going to move another inch right now, so he sat down next to her. He wrapped an arm around her and she rested her head on his shoulder. He could feel her breathing on his neck. It wasn't long before she had fallen asleep, her breathing even and soft.  
He tried to shift her so she would be lying completely on the sand instead of slouching in this awkward sitting position, but she wouldn't move away from him.  
He refused to let her sleep like that so he lay down with her and allowed her to lay as close to him as she like. She curled up beside him and rested her head on his shoulder. He wished every night could be like this, minus the excessive fighting and drinking.  
He lay awake, no wanting to sleep should she wake up and be in a suddenly different mood which was not too uncommon for her.  
The air was cool, and the breeze had gotten stronger since hours earlier. She shivered next to him. He slipped off his jacket and lay it over her.  
She rolled over, now facing away from him. He sat up and stretched out his arms.  
He could almost see the ships and lights of the port in the distance. They really weren't that far away. He knew she would be outraged should she wake up out here, least of all with him.

He sighed, taking in her beauty for the last time before he scooped her carefully up into his arms. He would carry her back the ship and hopefully in that time she wouldn't wake up.  
She was surprisingly light compared to her future self. Maybe she wasn't eating, or getting enough sleep, or exercise. He would have to pay closer attention. She put her arms around his neck and buried her face in his chest and mumbled something inaudible to him. He smiled to himself as he slowly made his way back to the ship.  
"Mhmm-Jack" She hummed shifting slightly in his arms.  
"I'm 'ere, just rest" He said softly. Just a little bit further, he could now clearly see the ship, and the noises of the port had met their ears again.  
"Jack?-" The fog that was clouding her head was starting to clear revealing a massive headache. It wasn't yet bad enough to stop her thoughts. She didn't recognize where she was and where she was going or who she was with.  
He could hear the pain in her voice and sighed.  
"You are going to have a nasty hangover tomorrow"  
His voice brought her into awareness. She was with Jack, being carried to somewhere, she had a headache and he was acting like nothing was wrong, but something was. Why? What happened before she fell asleep? What happened earlier that evening? She tried and tried to remember, but she couldn't. She squirmed a little in his arms making it hard to for him to keep walking.  
"Oi, calm down, I got you, but I won't for long if you keep this up" He said lightly.  
She stilled, but her hand brushed passed the bandana on his neck and she could visibly see him wince at her touch.  
Then it hit her like a giant wave. It all came back to her, the arguing, the fighting, the gash in his neck. She stiffened. Her sudden stillness worried him, he looked down at her. Her eyes were wide and her hands were trembling.  
He took a deep breath, he knew what was bothering her. He didn't stop walking, and he tried not to look at her so she wouldn't see any emotions in his eyes.  
"Jack-" her voice was raspy and quiet.  
"No, shh. It's not your fault." He said as he finally stepped foot onto the deck of the ship. She didn't say anything else. She closed her eyes and tried to focus on what he had said and she tried to remember everything that had happened, but she slipped into a restless sleep instead.  
Elizabeth was waiting for them on the stairs and she looked up when she saw them.  
She grinned at how cute they looked together, but Jack noticed and shot her a warning look.  
"Is she alright?" She asked.  
"Well, she's drunk, tired and she's gunna have one hell of a hangover in the morning."  
Elizabeth nodded.  
She watched him take her below decks and place her gently in a hammock a short distance away from her future self who was also sleeping.  
He removed his jacket from around her and replaced it with a blanket. He took off her hat and her boots, as well as her sword. He brushed some hair out of her face and leant down leaving a gentle kiss on her forehead.  
"G'night luv" He whispered.  
"Goodnight Jack" She replied before rolling over and closing her eyes.  
He stood up, he didn't expect her to answer. He walked back to the main deck, he was pretty tired.

Elizabeth was waiting for him.  
"How'd it go?"  
"She isn't going to remember any of it tomorrow." He sighed.  
"Did you get your ship back?"  
"No. As much as I want it back, I'd rather her give it to me out of her own free will, not out of a drunken mistake."  
"You are very sweet Jack" She smiled.  
"Oi, I am many things, but sweet is definitely not one of them."  
"Oh, of course. Big bad, Captain Jack Sparrow couldn't possibly have a thoughtful soft side" She said jokingly.  
He shook his head and grinned.  
"I will accept thoughtful, but sweet, never."  
"I'm not so sure, Jack. Maybe you just don't want to recognize it. Maybe you're in denial. You don't want to believe that you have feelings; that you're a good man"  
"You keep sayin that after all these years, one might think you actually believe it" He said dryly.  
"I do believe it, I just wish you would as well." She said before walking away leaving him once again alone with his thoughts.

* * *

**A/N Well, I hope it was alright, but it would help to hear it from you. Feel free to leave a review, and thank you all for reading. **

**The next chapter is already almost done, so it shouldn't be that long. Until next time, keep smiling! **


	41. Chapter 45

**A/N Sorry its been a while, but school is finally over today. YAY! Hopefully now I'll be able to update sooner. This chapter is a bit longer than normal, but that's because it's been a while. I re wrote it three different times, so I hope its okay. Thank you to all of the favorite/followers and reviewers, you're all awesome. :) **

**I hope you like it. Please enjoy! **

* * *

It had been almost two hours since Elizabeth had gone to bed. He had found himself a comfortable place to sit and think for a while. He couldn't get his head around what he should be trying to do. What was he supposed to do? For all of his experience with women, he had no idea how to even approach Angelica anymore.

The sky grew darker as clouds moved in over head. The breeze grew cold and strong. A particularly strong gust of wind knocked his hat clean off onto the deck behind him. He took that as a sign that he should do something else, cause he wasn't getting anywhere just sitting there.

He grabbed his hat off the deck, placing it neatly on his head before going down to the lower deck.

It was quiet, and dark. He lit a lantern and let the light dance over the two people sleeping. He sat down on a crate next to 'his' Angelica. He looked at her face. She looked worn out, and distressed, but no less beautiful in his eyes. He brushed some of the hair off of her face. It was either really late, or it was really early. He had lost all sense of time. He just hoped she slept through the night. She really needed it.

He leaned back and closed his eyes. He quickly fell into a restless and dreamless sleep.

He woke up just as quickly to the sound of a hushed voice near him. He guessed he hadn't gotten more than two hours of sleep. He opened his eyes and moved his hand to the hilt of his sword. It was still dark, but he guessed it wouldn't be too long before morning. He stood up and walked around the deck but he found nothing to which the noises could be attributed to.

"Jack" It sounded like Angelica. He turned around to see her moving in her sleep. She must be dreaming, he thought. He sat down next to her again.

"Angela...ve con tu papá...te amo...Jack...help...no...don't hurt her...Jack- don't go...I-I lov-...no" She mumbled. He heard enough. She must have been having a nightmare. He cupped her face in his hand to calm her down.

"Shh...yer alright" He whispered softly. "I'm not going anywhere" Perhaps he would ask her about that dream sometime if he ever got the chance, some of the things she said intrigued him.

She leaned into his hand, but he pulled it gently away.

Her eyes blinked open. "Jack?" She spoke, her breathing heavy. Even in the dark her face was pale. She looked like she was going to be sick. And in fact she was. Luckily Jack had foreseen this type of thing happening and had placed a bucket conveniently next to her hammock.

He grimaced, but he still gently placed a hand on her back as she emptied the contents of her stomach.

She pushed herself back up all the way onto the hammock again, as she had almost fallen off of it.

Jack also had some water and offered it to her. She took it gratefully. He smiled warmly down at her, not that she could really see him that well.

"Jack?!"

"Shh, yer alright" He said quietly.

"Where are we?"

"We're still on the Crystal Dawn, and we are still docked in Tortuga waiting for the crew to return in the morning"

"We aren't on the Pearl?" She asked as she stretched her arms.

"No, you still have it luv" He stated

"You didn't just take it while I was sleeping?" She said rubbing her eyes.

"No, I did not" He said seriously.

"Why? That isn't like you"

"I trust you to give it to me when you deem fit" For as long as he could, he was going to be as passive towards her as possible. "Just get some more sleep, we'll be leaving in a few hours"

She looked at him skeptically, her eyes filled with distrust. "Why?"

"Because yer exhausted" He said...'and very hungover', he thought.

"No...why do you trust me?" She narrowed her eyes.

"I dunno...I'd hope it would help you trust me to some extent, I suppose." He said honestly.

"Liar...I don't believe you"

"Clearly" He said. "Why not?"

"Why do you need your ship back so badly?"

"Because it is strategically better qualified for the expedition"

"Yeah, right"

"That is the honest answer, honestly" He raised his hand in defence.

"No, I don't think so. I think you want your ship back so you wont need a reason to keep me around anymore...then you can just leave me on some island or something" She coughed.

"Oh...I see what yer afraid of" He said with realization. "Ye think I'm just after me ship. That couldn't be further from the truth luv. Ye should know better than anyone that I care 'bout ye"

She ignored him. "Just go...take your ship and go"

He was very sure he heard her wrong. "What?"

"The Pearl...just take it...and if you're going to leave then leave…"

"It's not like that. I am not leaving, and I won't leave you. Not ever again, if thats how you want it to be." He said meaning every word. He knew she was still not thinking straight still, but there wasn't anything he could say to make her believe him.

She reached over and pulled the bottle from the bag next to her hammock. She held it out to him pointedly. "Here, now leave" She demanded.

"Thank ye, but ye better go back to sleep while ye still can before we leave" He said before leaving her alone again. Silent tears slipped down her cheeks as she followed him with her eyes. But he was right, she was still tired and she did fall back to sleep momentarily after he left, the tears drying on her face.

On the other hand, his mind was reeling. How could she even think that he would use her as a means to an end like that?! What had he done to give her that impression? He would show her, he didn't know how, but he would, although, first he had to free the Pearl.

He found Angie and softly ran a hand over her arm to wake her up. Her eyes blinked open and she smiled when she saw his face.

"Good morning Jack" She whispered.

"mornin luv" He replied warmly. "I need yer help with somethin. Meet me on deck in ten minutes"

She nodded and he left her to go find Elizabeth.

Surprisingly she was already on deck, dressed and ready to go. "Mornin Lizabeth. Yer up early aint ye?"

She smirked at him from the top of the stairs. "Pirate" She replied. "Good morning Jack"

He grinned.

"We are just waiting on Daniel, Gibbs, Aaron, and a few other members of the crew before we can shove off"

"Delightful"

The sun had not yet risen and the sky was still very dark, but it could have been due to the heavy cloud cover.

Jack and Elizabeth talked for a few minutes before Angie joined them. They waited about an hour for the last stragglers of the crew to return. After everyone was aboard they departed, leaving Tortuga behind. They sailed for about an hour, keeping close to the shore for protection. The stopped. Jack had explained his plan to Elizabeth and Angie to release his ship.

A longboat was lowered and Jack and Angie rowed out a few hundred meters from the Dawn. Elizabeth, Cristina, and Daniel watched them from the quarterdeck.

"Give me yer hand" Jack said. She did as he said and let her smaller hand rest in his larger one. He swiftly cut it with a knife. She hissed at the pain that shot through her hand. "Sorry, luv" Just as quickly, he uncorked the bottle to the ship and held her hand over it letting the blood drip into it. After a few seconds he let her go. He leaned over the side of the small boat, and held the bottle under the water.

"Jack let it go" She said suddenly.

"What? No way!"

"Trust me...it will work, just let it go unless you want to be crushed." She said gently.

"Fine" He grumbled under his breath as he released his grip on the glass bottle. He felt helpless as he watched his precious ship in the bottle sink into the darkness of the sea.

"Jack, we need to move" She said. "Now"

He obeyed and rowed them quite a ways away. There was a flash of white light, temporarily blinding them, and the sound of a deafening explosion. The water near where they had just been appeared to form a maelstrom, with the water running counter clockwise. From the center, the ship became visible and appeared to be growing in size.

After a few seconds it was full size again and it was beautiful. Jack just stared at it, stuck in a trance of both wonder and shock.

"Ready to see your ship again, Captain?" Angie said happily nudging him.

He didn't even answer, his gaze was still transfixed on the Pearl. He finally snapped out of it and rowed them over to it as fast as he could. He climbed aboard, only taking a moment to help Angie up as well. He found himself wanting to inspect the entire ship to see the damage caused since it was stolen from him.

To Angie he looked like a child on Christmas, his eyes wide with a genuine smile on his face. She followed him all over the ship. They were on the quarter deck when she pulled out a pistol, aiming it almost right at Jack who was not paying any attention.

"Hands up Jack" She demanded.

He spun around. "What?"

She pulled the trigger and he ducked, the bullet just missing his head.

"Damn, I missed" She holstered her gun again.

He glared up at her. "What might I ask was that for?" He said as he straightened himself out again.

She just motioned to the monkey that had climbed up the rigging behind him. "I tried to shoot him" She shrugged.

"Ha, well maybe I need to teach yer younger self a lesson in aiming" He said. "Perhaps when she feels better, but now looks like Lizabeth finally decided to join us"

They both moved to get the Pearl lined up next to the Dawn, and they lowered a gangplank. Gibbs was the first to cross over to the Pearl, followed by Elizabeth, Aaron, and Cristina.

"Alright, listen up" Jack began. "The plan, now that I 'ave me ship, is this. We are venturing to find a very powerful treasure, and we must get to it before Barbossa" Gibbs noticeably rolled his eyes, but Jack ignored him and continued. "Elizabeth will captain the Dawn, and Angie, and Cristina will remain aboard with her, while Gibbs, Aaron, and Angelica join me on the Pearl, plus a few extra personnel, savvy. Any questions"

"Sounds like a plan" Elizabeth accepted.

"How are we gunna find this place?" Aaron asked.

" Son...I'm captain Jack Sparrow, and I just so happen have to have a map in my possession that we shall follow to get there" Jack smirked.

"I have a question." Cristina spoke up sternly.

"Eh?"

"Who is she?" Cristina nodded to Angie.

Elizabeth glanced at Jack to see what he would say. Angie didn't look to bothered by the question and before Jack could say anything or stop her, she took off the black mask covering her face and lowered her hood from her head. Everyone gasped except for Elizabeth and Jack who were slightly unsure of why she had just given away her identity.

" Thats...thats...not possible" Cristina mumbled.

"Oh, I assure you Cristina, it is" Angie said nonchalantly.

"What's yer name?" Gibbs said eyeing her skeptically.

"Angelica Spa-Teach. Angelica Teach. You know very well who I am Mr Gibbs." Well that wasn't good. She almost let slip a secret about the future that she had been very careful to keep thus far. Jack glanced at her curiously, but he said nothing, no doubt he had caught her slip up.

"Uhuh...now how is that possible might I ask?" Gibbs questioned.

"I'm from the future, which I must say looks quite bleak for all of us if we continue to stand around and interrogate me"

"Aye..." Jack spoke up. "now like I said...you three will remain aboard the Dawn, while us four, 'our' Angelica included will be aboard the Pearl, savvy?"

He went on to explain the rest of the plan to them, from the moment they were to arrive on the island to the moment they were to get the treasure and leave. He pulled out his map and handed it to Elizabeth allowing her to study their route. "Here is the heading, we will go that way" He pointed off into the distance without even looking at his compass. He had already spent some time looking at that map and felt confident he could get them to where he wanted to go.

"Did you check your compass Jack? Don't you use it for everything?" Elizabeth questioned.

"Yes, but on occasion, I find it more fun to just go. So let's, shall we?"

Elizabeth shrugged and gave a nod.

The group separated, Elizabeth, Angie, and Cristina returned to the Dawn, while Jack Aaron and Gibbs remained aboard the Pearl.

"Gibbs take the helm, and Aaron...just do whatever it is you do. I'll be back"

"Aye Cap't" they both replied.

Jack walked over the gangplank and down to the crew deck of the Dawn. Despite how long they had all been up, it was still early in the morning, so he wasn't surprised to see Angelica still sleeping in the hammock where he had left her.

He carefully gathered her into his arms. She didn't even make a sound, but he could feel her breathing, the shallow rise and fall of her chest. He carried her over to the Pearl and into the captain's cabin. He gently laid her down on the bed. He left her only for just a few minutes to make sure the ship got moving ok, but he swiftly returned to find her in the same position as when he had left. He sat down on the edge of the bed and looked her up and down. She was a mess. Her hair was in tangled knots, her clothes smelled like rum, sweat, and vomit, and she had dirt smudges all over her face that he hadn't noticed in the darkness of last night.

He wasn't going to let her sleep like that.

Luckily for him he still had clothes in the trunk in the adjacent room. He found a pair of soft loose shorts and a loose white shirt that he was sure would fit her. He didn't keep a lot of female clothes around so the shorts and shirt were his, but at least they were clean.

He went back to the room where she was sleeping.

He sat on the edge of the bed next to her. He carefully moved her hair out of the way and gently pulled her stained shirt off of her and quickly replaced it with his clean white one. He did the same with her trousers, quickly replacing them with his shorts. He found a cloth and dampened it with some water. Carefully so he didn't wake her, he gently wiped her face off. When he was finished he shifted her slightly so he could pull the blankets up around her. She looked so peaceful, and he could only hope that she would stay that way.

He would have stayed with her until she woke up, but he needed to speak to Gibbs. He took one last glance at her before he left the cabin, closing the door gently behind him.

He walked up to the helm where Gibbs was steering the ship.

"How is she?" The older man asked.

"I suppose that is the question ain't it?" Jack replied. "She's fine physically, but emotionally she's...lets just say not going to be fun to talk to when she wakes up"

"And yerself? You look awful cap't, you been sleepin?"

"I'm perfect, why wouldn't I be?" Jack snapped.

Gibbs just looked at him knowingly.

"Do I look that bad?" Jack conceded.

"I saw that nasty fight you two got in last night. You should have known better Jack"

"What was I supposed to do?! I had to get my ship back!" He defended. "Why can't it ever be simple?! Why can't things just go smoothly?!"

"Because women are anything but simple cap't" Gibbs responded wisely. "You still look like you haven't slept in days. Take a break cap't, after all it will take a few days to get there"

"Fine" He grumbled under his breath. "Keep us on course, if there are _any_ developments let me know, other than that I do not wish to be disturbed"

"Aye sir" The other man responded as Jack walked away back to his cabin.

Before going back to his cabin he decided to find himself something to drink. Rum would be nice, he thought. He walked into the galley, which he had thought would be void of persons, but no, Aaron was there.

"Aaron, what in the blazes are ya doing? Ain't ya s'posed to be workin or somthin?!" Jack questioned sternly.

The younger man practically fell out of his chair, dropping the bottle that was in his hand and spilling it's contents across the floor. He didn't answer.

"So yer not workin, and ye wasted a perfectly good rum...perhaps I should just throw you overboard now" Jack said smirking at the younger man's nervousness.

"No-no sir" Aaron said quietly standing at some form of attention.

"what are ye doin? That is not how I run my ship savvy?" Jack said finding two more bottles of rum and sitting across from where Aaron had been sitting. "sit down"

He did as he was told. Jack took a sip of his and slid the other across the table to Aaron who nodded uneasily in thanks.

"What's yer story boy?" Jack asked after a moment.

"uh-why? What's it to you?"

"cause on occasion I like to know the persons on my crew" Jack said plainly. "You are an ex-royal navy officer ain't ye?"

"what makes you say that?" Aaron looked at him incredulously.

"Ye follow orders, ye are fairly well mannered, ye treat women with a general respect, and the dead give away is that standing at attention is not common amongst pirates" Jack smirked and took another drink of rum not taking his eyes off of the man in front of him.

"That obvious?" Aaron asked.

"Aye, now people ain't gunna trust ye if ye don't start actin like ye belong" Jack said knowingly. "So what changed yer mind? Why join a Barbossa in the first place?" Jack asked thoroughly intrigued.

"I didn't choose okay! I was part of the expedition crew that survived during the fountain of youth charade!" Aaron said lowly. "After Barbossa turned pirate again, he offered any remaining officers a choice to either join his crew on the Revenge, or to be left behind"

"Once a pirate always a pirate" Jack stated.

"Of course I knew even if I made it back to England I wouldn't be welcomed back into the navy and I would more than likely be executed for piracy. But I knew I wouldn't even get that far, so I joined his crew" Aaron continued.

"Have any family back in England?" Jack inquired.

"No. My father was in the Navy and his ship was lost at sea, and my mother had gone so mad with grief that she jumped off the Richmond Bridge in London. I was left to care for my younger siblings. I had a brother, Joseph, and a sister, Katherine, but I couldn't look after them so I had to put them in an orphanage to be adopted by someone who could." He said sadly taking a long drink of rum.

"Well, I know how that feels, to lose yer family." Jack mentioned. Aaron gave him a look wondering if he was going to continue, but Jack didn't elaborate any further.

Jack took a drink of rum, and sat in silence for another moment.

"What about a girl? Got a lass waitin for ye to come home?" Jack asked clawing himself out of his deeper thoughts and pushing them out of his mind.

"No." Aaron said. "I have never had the best luck with the ladies"

Jack chuckled. "Oh come now, a lad such as yerself has to have someone"

"They're so complicated, I never can say the right things"

"What kind of military training did you have did ye say?" Jack asked having somewhat of an idea. "Like what was yer position"

"I was a Lieutenant, I never really had to do anything that important, but for some reason my job was generally to escort prisoners and any guests we had aboard our vessels" He answered.

That gave Jack an idea, he didn't particularly like it, but it would make him feel better. "Well, I tell you what, I help you, you help me savvy?"

"What?"

"First I need to know something. Are you sure you want to turn pirate, cause like I said, once you turn, you can never really go back"

The younger man nodded. "its already too late for that"

"Good" Jack grinned. "Now then, as I was saying...I will help you with yer reputation as a pirate, as well as find you a girl.."

"And in return?" Aaron interrupted.

"And in return not only will you continue to serve as a member of my crew, but you will also serve as a bodyguard"

"What for, you can take care of yourself" Aaron almost laughed, but Jack merely looked at him.

"Not for me you idiot. Where we are going, Angelica is going to be in danger, and I may not be able to watch her all of the time. That's where you come in" Jack stated. "Everywhere she goes, you go unless I am with her understand?"

"Okay, is that it?"

"She is not to know, and you mustn't tell anyone savvy. Deny everything, but if she is hurt under your watch you will be held personally responsible" Jack said sharply.

"And you trust me with that?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Well, that's why I'm gettin to know ye savvy" Jack completely made that up. He had originally just wanted a drink. "And yer gunna need some better fight training mate."

"What's wrong with my fighting skills?" Aaron asked offended.

"Nothing. From what I remember you fight cleanly, like any other sailor, but you miss opportunities to out maneuver yer opponents"

"Oh yeah?! I bet I could beat you!" Aaron challenged.

"Am I correct in assuming you want a sword duel?!" Jack asked evenly.

"Your damn right. I could beat your sorry ass any day with my training" Jack noticed a change in Aaron's expression. He looked afraid almost

"And you dare smack talk yer captain like that?!" Jack practically growled.

"You said I was acting too much like a soldier!" Aaron defended, his voice shaky

Jack laughed. "Then by all means, lets go, this is going to be fun" Jack smirked as he stood and left the galley.

He stood on deck and waited for Aaron.

"Oi, Cap't I thought ye went to relax er somethin?" Gibbs asked from the helm.

"Ye know me Gibbs, I couldn't possibly say no to a challenge" He said deviously.

"Who's the poor soul?"

"I have been challenged to a sword duel" He said. "By Aaron"

"Don't 'urt the lad Cap't after all he's no use if he's injured" The older man warned.

Jack waved him off as he turned to face Aaron who had arrived on deck.

They were standing a few meters apart and they both drew their swords.

They both took their fighting stances and Jack was hit with the familiar memory of his first fight with William Turner. He smirked. This would be easy, clearly this guy was not a practice obsessed blacksmith.

"Let's dance" Jack said stepping forward raising his sword. Aaron did the same and in an instant the clashing of metal was they only thing to be heard on the otherwise quiet deck.

Aaron didn't quite have proper footing and Jack was more agile than him, making more advanced moves.

Jack noticed Aaron favored his right side. He dodged Aarons downward swipe and took the opportunity to get close enough to him to jab him in the side. Aaron doubled over and Jack kicked his legs out from underneath him. He directed the end of his blade at Aaron's throat.

"You cheated" The younger man glared up at him.

Jack leaned down to grab the sword out of Aaron's hand. "Next time I should think twice about challenging a pirate to a duel" Jack said quietly before standing back up.

Aaron pushed himself off the deck, and straightened out his clothes. Jack handed him back his sword.

"Like I said ye need-" There was a sound that sounded like glass breaking coming from behind the door to the captain's cabin. "more practice" Jack finished. He looked up at Gibbs who shrugged. "now thats over, get back to work" Jack ordered over his shoulder to Aaron as he walked towards the door.

* * *

A few minutes ago...She woke with a start from her already less than peaceful sleep.  
How could it be morning already she thought, rolling over and trying to sit up, only to aggravate her already excruciating headache. She pried open her eyes but couldn't see straight. Where was she? She wasn't in the hammock that she had woke up in the previous morning. She was in a bed. A rather comfortable bed that was almost familiar to her, but she couldn't quite place it.  
She swung her legs over the side, setting her feet on the cool wooden floorboards. She looked over herself to see that she was wearing a loose white shirt and a pair of loose fitting shorts. All she knew was that neither of those clothes were hers, but that wasn't the most pressing issue, she couldn't remember any of last night and she didn't know where she was.  
She just had to stay calm, and perhaps by looking around she could figure it out. The whole room she was in seemed painfully familiar, but the world was spinning as she stood up from the bed making it difficult to think about familiarity. There was a set of beautiful stained glass windows, and the paneling of the floors and walls were made of dark oak wood making the room seem even darker than it was.  
She staggered a few steps before coming in contact with a table, knocking an empty glass bottle to the floor.  
She was barefoot and tried to take a step back only to stumble backwards landing herself on the floor.  
Moments later the door to the room opened, flooding the dark room with light.  
She turned her head to see who it was but the light from outside was really bright. The light obscured him, whoever he was, making him just a silhouette in the doorway. He paced quickly over to her without a word and picked her up off the floor setting her gently back on the bed. She didn't protest, but she wasn't sure who this guy was. His arms were strong, and there was a safeness she felt while he was carrying her that she didn't want to let go of even when he did.  
Her eyes were having trouble adjusting to the light and he could tell. He went to shut the door and strode back over to her, stopping only when he heard the crunch of glass under his brown leather boots.  
So that's what he heard break, just an empty rum bottle. At least she wasn't throwing things yet, as it appeared that she just accidentally knocked it over. He found a broom and swept up the pieces of glass, the entire time she just watched him wordlessly still trying to decipher his features in the dark space.  
He had cleaned up the mess in fairly good time, but she had fallen asleep again. She needed it though. Without stopping to look for the second piece to the treasure and being on a time schedule to get to the actual treasure before Barbossa, he needed her to be as well rested as possible.  
He had Gibbs and Aaron on deck watching the ship and maintaining the course next to the Crystal Dawn, so he could sit by her bed for the rest of the day if need be. He just wanted to be there when she woke up the next time so she didn't break anything else or hurt herself in the process of being too curious for her own good. He sat down at the chair behind the desk, and spent the next hour going over countless maps of their route. He looked at strategic currents and areas where the Royal Navy had patrol ships. He also tried to determine the way that Barbossa would go. It was getting frustrating. He leaned back in his chair and shifted his gaze over to where Angelica was sleeping. She looked so peaceful, but he knew as soon as she woke up and realized where she was, it was going to be hell.  
He must have been watching her for too long because he had all but forgotten what he had been doing and was only brought back into attention by a loud knock on the door.

He practically jumped up from his chair at the sound. The knocking continued, and increased in intensity when he didn't verbally answer, which he didn't want to do because he didn't want to wake Angelica up. "Stop dammit" He snapped as he approached the door. He glanced quickly over his shoulder at her to see if she woke up but she merely rolled over.  
He cracked open the door to keep the light level to a minimum.  
She actually had woken up and was deciding if she really wanted to get up.  
She heard the door open and noticed a sliver of light cut across the darkness of the room.  
"I thought I told you that I didn't want to be disturbed..." He growled quietly at young Aaron who was standing there hesitantly. "Well...what is it boy, and it better be good" He snapped when he got no response.  
Was that Jack? No, it couldn't be, why would he be here? She guessed it would have helped if she knew where here was.  
"The first mate requested to be relieved of duty, sir" The young man stated.  
"Then relieve him and take over for the next shift" Jack said.  
"Uh- I don't think that is a good idea" Aaron quickly stated.  
"Why not?"  
"Cause I don't have the experience to steer a ship of this size"  
"If you don't do it sometime, you'll never learn" Jack was about to close the door again, but he decided against it. "Tell 'im he's not off duty til he shows ye what to do, savvy"

The young man nodded and Jack shut the door again. He had managed to get a few hours of uncomfortable sleep last night, but would kill for the chance to nap in his own bed, which now was occupied by Angelica. He sat down on the edge of the bed next to her and gently brushed some of the hair off of her face. His hands were warm and rough against her smooth skin. She was awake and was deciding if she really wanted to move for fear that he might move away from her.

In the midst of her thoughts, she felt his soft lips against her forehead. He lingered there for a moment, breathing in her scent. He sighed, his breath ghosting over her face. She felt him pull away and instinctively opened her eyes hoping to look into his big brown ones, but he was facing away from her with his head down. She shifted silently and pushed herself into a sitting position right behind him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned her head on his shoulder. She must have surprised him, he jumped slightly.

"What's wrong Jack?" She asked quietly.

"How do you feel?"

"I'm fine" She said softly. "What do you have my bandana for?" She asked as she ran her hands over his neck. She went to untie it but he stopped her.

"Ye'll remember eventually. It's best if I let ye remember on yer own" He stood without looking at her.

"What do you mean, why?"

"Because it's better that way" He stated.

"Fine, then tell me where we are?"

"The Pearl"

"What?!" She almost jumped off the bed as she came to stand in front of him. She swayed a little bit as she looked up at him.

He put his hands on her shoulders to steady her, a gesture which she was thankful for. "You're still disoriented, lay back down, and I'll answer your questions."

She wanted to protest, but there was something about the way he was speaking to her that caused all the fight in her to go away. She grudgingly nodded and climbed back into the bed.

* * *

**A/N What did you think? As always, thank you for reading, and if you have any suggestions, let me know! :) **


	42. Chapter 46

**A/N Sorry it took so long, I was a way for two weeks, so time has been kind of alusive recently. Thank you all for reading this far. I hope this chapter's okay, it's more of a filler, so I just hope it isn't too bad. I rewrote it 3 times and I never fell in love with it, but hopefully you'll enjoy it. **

**Without further a due... please enjoy. :)**

* * *

He took a breath and glanced calmly down at her. His expression was calm, and his eyes were soft. He sat gently on the edge of the bed, folding his hands in his lap. He was the perfect picture of calm, but her, on the other hand was seething with rage. If looks could kill, Jack would have been brutally executed in every way known to man, by the sharp and unrelenting glare she was giving him.  
Sometimes she didn't understand how he could appear to be nonchalant and non-caring most of the time.  
They sat for a few more moments in silence while she tried to formulate a question. She didn't know if she should trust him to tell the truth, or to even listen to her if she got too upset with him.  
Even lying there partially incapacitated by last night's drinking, she was still a force to be reckoned with and she wouldn't let him forget it. Although she didn't fight him when he told her to lie down, she wasn't going to let him get away with his usual cryptic answers.  
She decided to start with what she thought would be an easy question for him to answer. "I expect honest answers you know" she stated flatly.  
"I expected nothing less than for you to expect that" He countered. "But know there are some things that I won't explain to you"  
She nodded, wondering what he meant. She refocused on what she really wanted to know first. "I don't recall giving you the Pearl back, so when did that happen?"  
"Earlier this morning" He responded.  
"So what, you just went through my stuff while I slept?!" She asked pointedly.  
He tried to ignore her tone. "Not at all, you woke up briefly and practically shoved the damned thing in my face when I said I wouldn't take it from you like that."  
She rolled her eyes. "And yet you did anyways!"  
"What was I supposed to do? There was no reasoning with you. You wouldn't listen and you were afraid. So yes I unhappily took it from you to save you and myself from a headache, and here we are." He said gesturing to the rest of the room.  
"Afraid?! Of what?!" She exclaimed. She searched his face and eyes for any hint or clue as to what he was talking about, but she found none of the answers she wanted.  
"I'm not going to answer that" He said flatly.  
"Why not?!" She was curious to see what he thought he knew, and his deflection away from a real answer was just annoying.  
"Just let me save us the argument, and allow you to keep your self esteem and integrity in tact" He said gently. He knew he was cutting it close, and she wasn't going to let that go, so he had to change the subject.  
"But what-" He interrupted her, and the dissatisfaction with his answer was clear on her face.  
"Let it go, I'm not going to discuss it with you" He snapped. He looked away and sighed, knowing he shouldn't have said that. When he looked back at her, she was looking down with her body turned away from him. "I-I sorry" He shouldn't be near her right now, it wasn't going well, and likely wasn't going to get any better until she remembered more. He wasn't good at being the one who did most of the talking. "Uh- look, if you end up remembering last night, just know that I forgive you, and uh- sorry."  
He sat a moment longer to see if he would get a response, but when none came, he stood. "If you want to talk to me, I'll listen, or if you want me to go, I'll go. Until then I'll leave you to your thoughts"  
Just as he was going to leave, he heard a whisper from behind him that stopped him in his tracks.  
"Will you stay?" She wasn't really sure if she wanted him to, but she did feel better when he was there, she didn't want to be alone. He glanced at her and searched for any doubt in her eyes. She hid it well, so he carefully walked back over to the side of the bed, fully expecting her to change her mind. When she didn't, he sat down on a chair and crossed his legs, folding his hands neatly in his lap.  
He didn't seem upset, but he didn't say anything to her. She watched him watching her. She thought about everything he said, and everything he didn't say. His gaze was soft and non judgmental.  
She was leaning against the headboard, and fidgeting with the blankets. She finally looked back up at him, but he had averted his eyes to avoid eye contact with her. "Will you tell me about last night?" She asked, her voice barely above a whisper. "Please"

How could he say no to her when she asked him like that? It didn't help that she was making an adorable face, pleading him to tell her.

"Fine" He conceded. "Where should we start then?" He looked at her then and it appeared as if she were trying to remember but she was drawing a blank.

He didn't want her to see him as the bad guy, but he didn't want her to to feel the pain of guilt he knew would burden her if he told her everything. So, he decided he would bend the truth as he usually did, only this time instead of getting him out of trouble, he may be getting himself into more of it if she believed him.

"How bout when I first arrived in Tortuga yesterday evening shortly before yourself." Here it goes, he thought. "I came to Tortuga in the company of a not so good female friend of yours, with the hopes that I would find you and reacquire my ship"

She eyed him skeptically, "who was this friend?" jealousy evident in her tone.

"it's perhaps better if she remains nameless for now." He stated. "Anyway, the plan was to make you so jealous that you gave my ship back out of desperation, but it didn't work." He didn't enjoy lying to her about it, but he could handle her anger towards him. He just couldn't handle any guilt that might plague her mind. She had already had so much to feel guilty about, hurting him again wasn't something that needed to be added to the list.

"We argued for a while…" He trailed off.

"Like we always do" She finished for him, but it was more of a question.

"Aye, like always. After the argument, Elizabeth broke us up and in a fit of rage I managed to throw a glass bottle whilst standing to near a wall and some of the shards ricocheted and hit me in the neck. In the mean time you had dropped your bandana and stormed off back into the tavern."

"You expect me to believe that a glass shard came back at you and sliced your neck open?"

"sure, why not, it's the truth ain't it?"

"You tell me" she countered.

"Yes." He tried to hold eye contact with her to get across that his lie was the truth. "I found your bandana, and after a while, I had gone to apologize, but you had already drunk a ton of rum, which by the way, I didn't know you enjoyed."

"I don't, thinking about drinking that much makes me want to throw up"

"Well then it's a good thing I changed yer clothes eh? They reeked of rum. By now you probably would have been sick" He chuckled lightly, but it soon faded when he noticed the unmistakable glare she only gave him when he had really pissed her off.

"What did you just say?!" She gritted her teeth and glared at him.

"Come on luv. It's no big deal." He waved her off, trying to avoid looking at her. "You were passed out, and you were covered in dirt, and rum, and it was plain awful. I wasn't going to let you touch my bed without changing your clothes. Besides, you should be thanking me that I wanted you to be comfortable"

She didn't really know how to respond to that. Was she supposed to be mad that he would do that without permission, or was she supposed to be grateful for him thinking of her needs like that while she wasn't able to do it for herself. She did have to admit though, that he had made the right decision, and the clothes he chose for her to sleep in were rather comfortable.

"Thank you" She said quietly.

"Any time" His eyes twinkled with a hint of playfulness when he said that making her blush slightly.

"Oh sure, maybe I should just become a complete alcoholic like you, and you could do that for me every night" She scoffed sarcastically.

"Now there's a nice idea luv" He grinned.

"Only in your dreams Sparrow" She replied.

"Then I have somethin to look forward to when I go to sleep, eh." He smirked. "By they way, you talk an awful lot in your sleep"

"I do not" She denied. "But I did have a strange dream last night"

"Oh?" He raised his eyebrows at her. "Want to talk about it?"

"I-no" She decided. It wasn't that she couldn't remember it, but she didn't want to remember it. It kind of scared her, which was exactly why she didn't need to tell Jack. He didn't need to worry about her more than he already did.

"That's too bad, it sounded really intense from what you were saying"

"And, what did I say, exactly?"

"well, uh- that's not important, back to last night shall we?" He redirected, he didn't want to make her talk about it if she didn't want to. "I came back to find you drunk and alone after Cristina had gotten in a fight or something with someone. I kind of helped you out of there and we walked by the edge of the beach and I talked to you. You weren't really up to a conversation, but it seemed like you were at least trying to listen" He said thoughtfully

"What did you talk about? I don't remember any of it"

"Oh you know, I told you every secret I've ever kept from you, confessed feelings, all of my hope and dreams. I told you everything because I knew you wouldn't remember" He chuckled, his eyes bright. It was intended as a joke, but she didn't take it that way.

"What?!" Of course he would only tell her things when she wouldn't be able to remember them. "Why can't you ever just tell me things when I'll be able to remember them?!"

"Woah woah, calm jown, luv, I was just jokin" He said quickly returning to his serious tone. "I only said a few things to calm you down. We walked for a ways, and on our way back you were so tired you fell asleep"

"oh" Why did she think he was being serious? She must really still be out of it if she can't tell when he's messing with her. "How'd we get back then?"

"You slept for few minutes, then I carried you back to the ship, and that's it."

She had a feeling he left something out. It seemed like everything he said could have happened, but nothing explained why he apologized at the beginning or why he said he forgave her. Forgave her for what?

"What was our argument about?" She said carefully, trying to read his expression.

"It's not important" He lied trying to keep his composure under her gaze.

"Who were you with?"

"She's not important" He lied again.

"let me see your neck" That threw him for a loop, and he was not expecting that, but he nodded. He moved to sit on the edge of the bed next to her. He let her soft hands carefully untie the bandana around his neck. He let his eyes close at her touch, but he winced as she pulled the bandana away. The blood had dried to it. It was a straight, clean cut. She wasn't a doctor, but she knew a stray piece of glass wouldn't have cut him like that, especially if it were from a bottle, there wouldn't have been a piece big enough to inflict a cut that deep. It had to have been something bigger, sharper. He opened his eyes to glance at her when she pulled her hands away from him. "Who did this to you?"

Well, so much for that. "I did"

"Stop lying to me!" She snapped. "I know you were cut by a sword, but by whose hand? I want the truth Jack" She just guessed it was a sword but it could have been a knife as well.

He sighed. "Yours"

Her face paled. She remembered. In that moment she remembered everything, the disappointment in his eyes when he looked at her, and the distrust in his voice when he spoke. And the voice of someone so familiar, but unknown to her. She could have killed him again, and he was telling her to do it. But she couldn't, all she could do was cut him, and at the sight of his blood she stopped. Watching him bleed reminded her how vulnerable he really was under his persona. He was only human, and she could hurt him if she wanted. But she didn't want to, even when she thinks she does out of anger she never really wants to. She did it out of anger and desperation. What came over her? How had she come to this? Sure she had threatened to kill him before, but she never had intended to. From what she remembered of last night, it scared her to think that she had actually considered it until he started talking.

"get out" She said quietly looking away from him.

"I'm fine- Look I-" She wasn't listening.

"Get out" She said louder, tears in her eyes.

"No" He whispered defiantly, as he wrapped his arms around her. She tried to push him away, but he wouldn't let her, not this time. Any other day he would have gotten up and left, but not today. "It's okay. I'm okay, and you're okay, everything's okay. I already forgive you. You just have to forgive yourself" He said softly.

"I don't know how" She mumbled hugging him tighter and burying her face in his chest.

"I'll help you, just one thing..."

"What's that?" She looked up at him.

"You have to let me" He practically whispered.

There was a large crash coming from outside on the main deck. Jack let go of her immediately and jumped from the chair and rushed to the door. He took one look outside before turning back to her. "Stay here, and don't leave this room" He commanded sharply, clearly annoyed and distracted by whatever was going on outside.  
"Jack, what's going on?!" She said as she wiped the remaining tears off of her face.  
"Uh- I don't know, but please, I am asking you to stay here" With that he left, slamming the door behind him.  
Out on the main deck he could see a relatively small vessel broadsided on both sides between the Pearl and the Crystal Dawn. What crew there were between the Pearl and the Dawn, most were busy with the cannons. The captain of the smaller ship must have known they were outgunned as a large portion of the crew began to board it's neighboring ships focusing mainly on the Pearl, likely because it looked like more of a threat. Immediately, Jack was caught in a duel with a sailor. It didn't take him long to out maneuver and disarm the man. He found the nearest rope and tied him to the port side rail, not in the mood for killing, but rather for answers about who ordered the attack on this vessel, and why he wasn't informed. Jack would have to fight first though, and ask questions later as he managed to get up to the helm, fighting people on the way to where Aaron was fighting another offender.  
Jack was about to help when he heard Angelica's voice from the main deck. He spun around to see her fighting a much larger man. She was still in his clothes, and for a moment he was transfixed by how beautiful she looked, but he was not about to watch her get hurt, not that he would have the chance. Just in time he raised his sword to block a blow to the back of an unsuspecting Aaron who was too busy fighting someone else. Jack heard Angelica yelp from the main deck and he had to make a decision. He glanced at Aaron who got the message. Aaron ducked out of the way of his attacker leaving him for Jack who was the better swordsman. Jack made short work of defeating the last two offenders before turning just in time to see Aaron jump in front of Angelica, fighting off the larger man.

"I don't need you're help!" She hissed shoving Aaron out of the way. He tried to get in between them again, but she wouldn't have it.  
"Back off!" Angelica yelled as she kicked her opponent in the stomach sending him stumbling backwards. He regained his footing and viciously slashed downwards sending harsh vibrations up her arm as she blocked his blow. He was way stronger than her and in a swift movement her grip on her sword gave out and it was pulled from her grasp.  
"What a strong pretty lady, to bad I have to get rid of ya" The man grumbled raising his sword again. She backed up as he approached her, completely defenseless. Aaron saw Jack come up behind the attacker just as he stepped in front of Angelica again, sword raised, but he relaxed when he heard Jack's voice.  
"Over my dead body" Jack growled as he stuck his blade in the man's chest. The man dropped to the deck. She peered over Aaron's shoulder, momentarily relieved until she saw that murderous look in Jack's eyes.  
"He wouldn't have had to die if it weren't for you." He said, his voice dripping with disappointment. "If you had only done what I said. I told you to stay there damnit! You are in no condition to fight!" He turned away from her.  
"Jack I-" She started.  
He cut her off. "Aaron, well done, now, take her back to my cabin until this mess is cleaned up" Jack ordered over his shoulder as he walked away not waiting to hear what she was going to say.  
"Don't you dare" She hissed, but he ignored her.  
"Yes Sir" The young man responded.  
"I hate you for this!" It hurt to hear that, but it wasn't the time to discuss emotions.  
Aaron's grip was tight but gentle, although it was not comforting in anyway.  
"Jack!-You can't do this to me!-Jack!-Let me go!" He could hear her yelling behind him, but he still didn't turn around.  
She really didnt want to sit in that cabin any longer. She had seen enough of that room, anywhere else would be better. Perhaps she could go below decks instead.

"Aaron, can I go to the brig instead?" She asked hopefully.

"Captain ordered to take you to the cabin, m'lady."

"But the brig is almost the same, and if I'm down there then no one will have to worry about me" She saw the conflicting orders on Aaron's face. "Please" She batted her eyelashes at him.

"Yer the Captain's lass, that sort of thing won't work on me. I don't fancy being thrown overboard so cut it out" Aaron stated. "I will escort you to the brig though, if you would rather"

"Thank you, but I can take myself" She rolled her eyes.

"Just go, I have to get back to work!" He released her and she trekked herself down to the brig. She found the cleanest cell and locked herself inside with the keys so she could be left alone for as long as she wanted.

Jack was too busy being furious as he watched as the crew of the Crystal Dawn boarded the smaller ship. So not only had he not been informed of the attack, but Angelica had put her life at risk for no reason. He was not happy.

When Aaron returned to the deck Jack was waiting for him, and he was almost fearful for a moment.

"Is she okay?" Jack asked.

"Is think so sir, but isn't too happy with you" He replied.

"Of course not" Jack sighed. "So tell me again why I didn't know what was going on?!"

"You said you didn't want to be disturbed, Sir, and they said it was necessary"

"What was?"

"I don't know, Cap't, why don't you go ask them?" Aaron shrugged.

"Aye, lets". He helped Jack lower a gangplank to the smaller ship, and followed him as he came to stand by Elizabeth, Angie, Cristina, and Daniel. Elizabeth ordered Daniel to search the ship for any useful supplies. Angie and Cristina were busy interrogating the crew, and Elizabeth had turned her attention back to over seeing the rest of her crew, so none of them even noticed Jack walk up behind them.  
"Ahem, what exactly is happening here?" Jack asked causing all three of them to turn towards him.  
"Oh Jack, I was beginning to wonder if you were going to be taking part in the fun" Angie said.  
He glared at her. "Would someone mind explaining why none of you thought to tell me what was going on?!" He snapped. Elizabeth had a slightly guilty look on her face, and she looked as if she was going to say something, but she remained silent. Instead Angie spoke up again.  
"It was necessary. In the future I lived, they were interrogated by Barbossa which helped him find us faster." She said flatly. "We can't let them go, Jack."  
"Be that as it may, why didn't I know about it, or is it that in this messed up future you're always talking about it doesn't matter anymore?!" He growled. "I'm not dead yet!" He continued glaring harshly at Angie who returned it with a look of equal intensity whilst Elizabeth and Cristina shared confused glances.  
"Jack, what do you mea..." Elizabeth hesitantly started before she was interrupted.  
Angie didn't want to go there, but if she was going to get through to him, then she had to. "No Jack, you aren't. Not yet, but I promise you will be if you don't listen to every damn word I say!" Angie snapped, completely ignorant of the question Elizabeth was going to ask.  
"No, you listen to me. Since obviously if I don't make the plan, I'm not included, so, what will happen is this. We are taking these prisoners with us for the time being, dropping them off on some island, and then we can talk, savvy? It's my life not yours, let's not forget that"  
Angie clenched her fists and stormed off without another word leaving Jack to watch her walk away.  
"Jack?" Elizabeth raised her eyebrows at him and gently placed a hand on his arm. He practically jumped away from her.  
"Uh- I'll take the prisoners aboard my ship, just keep me informed should anything happen." He was going to give some orders to Aaron who standing not to far away, but Elizabeth stepped in front of him.  
They were somewhat of friends so that basically made Jack's concerns, her concerns. "Jack, what's wrong?"  
"Nothing"  
"I should like to think I know you better than that." She said knowingly.  
"Remind me later and maybe I'll tell you, but right now, excuse me your highness" He said as he walked around her. "Aaron put these prisoners in the brig"  
"And Ms Angelica?" The younger man questioned.  
"What about her?!" Jack grumbled, he was not in the mood to talk about her.

"She told me she would rather go to the brig, Sir"

"So? Is that where you took her?!"

"No, she wouldn't let me go with her"

"So you let her walk away from you?! Boy, what did I tell you?!"

"She told me she could handle herself" he shrugged.

"You take orders from me, not her. Get back to work" Jack ordered. She was not going to be happy to see him, especially if she would rather be in the brig, but she was already there so a few more minutes couldn't hurt anything, he had an idea.

"Wait a moment, first find Gibbs and get him over 'ere" Jack said.

"Aye Sir" The young man quickly walked away back to the Pearl.

"Oi, Elizabeth and Cristina, come 'ere a minute" Jack said getting the attention of both of the women.

"What is it Jack?" Cristina asked.

"I have a plan" Just as he said that Gibbs casually walked up to them.

"Ye asked to see me Cap't?"

"Aye, now it seems a waste to not make use of this third ship, so what I propose is this. Gibbs I want you to take this ship and some of it's crew along with some of our own people." Jack started. "I need you to take this" He handed him his compass. "And I need you to find the second piece of the treasure."

"After I find it I assume I am to rendezvous with you at a later point" The older man asked.

"I trust it shouldn't be that hard to find us" Jack said before directing his attention back to Elizabeth and Cristina not noticing as Gibbs left to prepare 'his' ship for departure. "Now as I will be short another crewmember, Cristina, ye'll come with me"

"Why me?" She asked.

Jack thought a moment. He knew what he was doing and that didn't involve telling her the truth. "Why not? It'll be fun." He grinned. "Elizabeth, we need to keep heading in that direction" he pointed off into the distance. "When Angie cools down, ask her for my compass. We should be able to use it to get where we want to go"

"You just gave your compass to Gibbs though." She was confused.

"She has my future compass. Use it if we seem off course." She nodded and gathered up what was left of her crew and headed back to the Dawn. He turned back to Aaron.

"If I don't return in less than five minutes, you'll know why." Aaron nodded.  
He walked back to the Pearl and slowly down to the brig where he looked for the keys high and low. She must have them, he thought.  
She had turned away when she heard him come down the stairs, and she didn't flinch or move in any way when she heard him lean against the door behind her.  
He sighed and decided to sit down next to her in the neighboring cell. "Come back up to the main deck"  
"Am I allowed? Really?!" She asked sarcasm thick in her tone.  
"Of course you are" He said in all seriousness.  
"Just not when there is actually something going on, or when you need help"  
"No, only when I know you can't take care of yourself. Had you not stayed up drinking and fighting last night, you could have taken that guy no problem, I know you are good enough to do that. But I also knew that today you couldn't have and that's why I told you to stay inside the cabin. And your stubbornness is why I would have had you locked in the cabin, so you didn't hurt yourself." He tried to explain.  
"I can take care of myself, you just don't give me a chance!" She finally faced him.  
"Oh, I have done that plenty of times, you just don't appreciate it when I do" he responded. "In every instance, I couldn't trust your ability to make the best decision for yourself. You can't save everyone."  
"What about the people who matter to me? Am I allowed to help them?!" She asked sharply.  
He seemed to think for a moment. "If it was a choice between saving yourself or someone you loved, you must always choose saving yourself" He said thoughtfully.  
"And if it were your choice between yourself and the person you loved?" She asked.  
"You don't know?" He raised an eyebrow at her. "Luv, if it were a choice between my life and yours, I would save you over myself every time, no doubt and no questions asked"  
"Always the hypocrite." She muttered. "So you can sacrifice yourself for me, but I couldn't do the same for you?! Why not!?"  
"Because you have more to live for than I. Your life is worth so much more than mine. If you died when I could have saved you, I'd have to live with that guilt forever and I'd have no point in living, but the other way around, you could move on and have the life you deserve"  
It was always so infuriating talking to him when he got like that. She used the cell wall to stand up so she was looking down at him. "Stop saying you aren't worth anything, because you are, to me. But, you have to stop treating me like a fragile child that can't even protect myself, because, I can"  
"I know you're not, and you can, but I can't help it."  
"Why not?!" She demanded. "Why are you like that?! Either your way too over protective or not there at all, why can't you just be somewhere in between?!"  
He hated where this was going. Ever since it happened he tried to forget, but he just couldn't. He only hoped that she would then understand why he was so protective at times and extremely distant at others. It was an excruciatingly impactful event in his life before he met her, and it would be hard to tell her, but he had to. He had never told anyone what happened those years ago. "Come with me back up to the cabin, and I'll tell you why, if you agree to just listen until I finish."  
She nodded and unlocked the door, and followed him up the stairs. They passed Aaron who was guiding a few prisoners in the direction they had just come from.  
They got into the cabin and Jack shut the door behind them. Angelica climbed into the bed and leaned against the headboard. Jack was going to sit in a chair next to the bed, but Angelica motioned for him to sit next to her on the bed. So he did.  
She looked at him expectantly, and he cleared his throat before he began.  
"One time I found myself traveling across the British countryside by horse after a nasty scuffle with some arms dealers, but that's a different story. I was on my way to the nearest port to rendezvous with my ship." She was watching him intently, already captivated by his voice, curious what the point was. "Anyways, I had been traveling for two days non stop. I had been shot twice, only grazes mind you, the sorry bastards were terrible shots, worse than you actually." He chuckled. She merely gave a small smile, so he continued. "And the poor horse I borrowed..."  
"You stole someone's horse?"  
"He was a forgotten, outcast race horse, they were gonna kill him anyways!" He defended. "That is way besides the point though. Anyways, he was tired and I knew we had to stop. We were in what seemed like the middle of nowhere, and the only building in sight was a small farm house. So that's where I went. " He paused. He squeezed his eyes shut as if remembering physically hurt him.  
He remembered the cool summer breeze on his face, and the rustling of the tall sea of grass parted only by a small dirt path that led to the wooden steps of the small building.  
"Jack, what's the point of this story?" She asked not understanding.  
"Don't interrupt me, if you still don't understand, I'll tell you. Now if you don't mind, where was I?"  
"You just got to a farm house"  
"Ah yes. This was years before I met you, by the way. This beautiful young woman answered the door. She was just like you in so many ways it's almost scary, and she absolutely loved nature. She had short brown hair that curled just behind her ears, the way she smiled made her nose wrinkle in the cutest way. She was definitely the third most beautiful thing I had ever laid eyes on." He said dreamily.  
She huffed at his extensive complimenting of another woman snapping him out of his dream like state.  
"Are you going to continue the story before or after I decide to stop speaking to you?!" She snapped. "Wait, what are the first two most beautiful things you've seen then?"  
He ignored the last thing she said. "Uh-yeah. Her name was Chloe. She let me stay with her for a few days . She tended to my wounds and didn't even question who I was or where I was going. She was so trusting, and so kind. She had so much compassion for someone who had lost so much." He paused again and Angelica gave him a quizzical look. "She lived alone, her parents had died and were buried in the backyard, and she had no one except for a dog." He said grimly. "I offered her the opportunity to leave that place, and join me on the Pearl. I told her I could show her the world."  
"What'd she say?"  
"Yes, of course. She so desperately wanted to come with me, and I wanted her to as well." He said as if it was the most obvious thing ever.  
"Did you love her?!" She blurted out. She really didn't mean to, but she would admit that she was jealous of how he was talking about this other girl.  
"Yes, if it was possible for the short amount of time I was with her" She almost gagged and she felt her heart clench.  
"What happened?" she just managed to choke out, her voice barely audible.  
"She had some things to take care of first, so I promised I would return in three days. She unfortunately insisted on taking further care of my horse as it was still recovering from the fight."  
"Aw, did she leave before you could get back?" She asked sarcastically rolling her eyes.  
He ignored her tone. "No, she did exactly as I asked and waited for me to return, but I didn't think about how I would impact her life."  
"What do you mean?" She asked softly.  
"You know who I am don't you?" He asked her pointedly as if she should already know the answer to her own question. "I've said this so many times to you, and you never listen. The people I deal with are dangerous, and over the years I've made quite a few enemies. Enemies that take the people I care about away from me" He said seriously.  
"What happened to her?"  
"She was killed." She gasped, but he tried to keep his voice even. "The day I came back for her was the day I found her strung up in her front yard." He visibly shuddered at the memory. He took a quick breath before he continued. "Obviously the organization I was running from caught up with me, but instead of finding me, they found her. I should have known better. I shouldn't have left her alone knowing that I was being followed, but that was a different time, a different life." He wiped a single tear away from his eyes.  
"Jack I'm sorry, I didn't-" She started but he stopped her.  
"No, I didn't finish." He added before clearing his throat again. "I learned that day that I had to be more careful. I promised myself that I wouldn't let myself get close to anyone like that ever again. That was...until I met you all those years ago."  
"And that's why you're so protective of me?" She practically whispered.  
"You remind me so much of her. Every day, every time I look at you. You asked me what the most beautiful things I've ever seen are, well the Pearl is an obvious number two, but right now I'm looking at the most beautiful person I have ever seen, right now" He kept eye contact with her and gave her a grim smile before looking away. "You were so similar to her when I first met you. You had no family, nothing stopping you from coming with me. You as well seemed to have a love for nature, and as I said you both had undeniable beauty beyond measure, but you were different than her. You had spirit, a fiery attitude and curious personality something that she just didn't have." He paused a moment. "Before I told you this, you asked me why I was always so protective of you one minute, and the next leaving you on your own, well I have an answer to that. When I met you, it seemed like my second real chance to be with someone, and I told myself that I would protect you at all costs, but I realized all too quickly that there was one thing I couldn't protect you from...me. Every time I would look into your eyes, I was reminded of what I did to Chloe, and how much I didn't want that to happen to you. So yes, I was conflicted, fighting a constant battle between what I wanted, and what I thought was better for you at any given time. I didn't ask you because I didn't know if I could handle your decision to walk away, should you have chosen to do so, without first coming terms with it myself." He sighed. "Call me selfish, yell and scream at me all you want, leave even, but now you know why I do what I do."  
Did he really think that's what she would say? How could he, she wasn't heartless. When she looked up at him, his eyes were shut and he appeared to be trying really hard to compose himself. She wanted to say something, anything, but what could she say. She couldn't say anything, there was nothing to say.

He wished she would say something. It didn't matter what she said, just her voice was enough to ease the dull ache in his chest as it was proof that she was there and well. Silence. He sighed. He couldn't sit there anymore he needed a distraction. Before she could stop him he had stood and left, shutting the door behind him without another word.

She waited a few moments before she slowly exited the cabin. She immediately heard Cristina talking to someone. "Jack, what's Angelica up to?"

There was a pause.

"I've no idea" Came Jack's low voice.

"So what you stormed out of there?" Aaron asked.

"okay, enough of this. Both of you just go do something" Jack said.

"What needs to be done" Aaron asked.

"I didn't say I cared what you guys do. Neither if you have this shift, so go sleep or something." It was getting late. Both of them shrugged and shared a confused glance and walked away. They passed Angelica on their way down the stairs and gave her an uncertain look. She carefully walked up to him, but he payed her no attention.

She got close enough to wrap her arms around him, making him tear his attention away from the ocean ahead of them. He turned to face her and she buried her face in his chest. He hadn't even noticed she started crying until he felt the wetness of tears through his shirt. He embraced her as well and rested his head on hers. He let his eye fall shut until he heard a muffled sound coming from her. She was sobbing. She had no idea that that was the reason for everything. It all made sense, and she felt stupid for not noticing that he had been burdened with this since before they met. She felt horrible for yelling at him, and for making him practically relive that fateful day.  
She pulled away from him slightly so she could look him in the eyes. "I'm sorry Jack" She whimpered.  
"Shh, no. There's no need for you to be sorry, ever, and there's no need for you to cry" he said softly as he wiped some of the fallen tears off of her face.

* * *

**A/N It wasn't too bad right? Anyways, I'm always curious to know what you guys think so feel free to review. Also, sorry for any spelling/grammar mistakes, I edited it on my phone which isn't the smartest. ;) Hopefully I can get the next chapter up faster this time. **


	43. Chapter 47

**A/N Sorry it has been a while, and that this chapter is really short. Obviously the focus of the entire story is on J/A but I had a thought about future Angelica over on the other ship and I decided I couldn't leave it out, but you can skip it and it won't really effect the over all plot (not too much anyways), so this is going to be a two part chapter..kind of, and the second half hopefully will be posted in a few days. Thank you to all readers and reviewers, you guys are amazing! Enjoy! :)**

* * *

On the Crystal Dawn, Angie had found herself gazing through a telescope. She was watching Jack hold her younger self. He was being so gentle and kind to her, but it made Angie feel sick. She should be happy that her past future may have been saved up to this point, but she wasn't. She wasn't happy at all. She wanted to be the one to be held by him, to be kissed and loved by him. She wanted to be the one he fought with, the one he argued with, the one he said he hated and the one he said he loved. She wanted to be the one he promised to never abandoned yet did anyways. She wanted to be his, but she couldn't be, not ever again. Before she came to the past she thought it would be enough just to see him and to help him reconnect with her past self, but it was becoming clear that it wouldn't be enough for her. What hurt her the most though, was the knowledge that she couldn't do anything about it. She would never admit it to anyone, but she was jealous. Jealous of her past that she has no memory of because of the changes she herself made. Maybe she wouldn't be as upset by what she was witnessing if she could remember it, but she couldn't.

She sighed and lowered her eyes; she couldn't watch them anymore. When she looked back up at them for the last time without the telescope, she could just make out their two forms walking down the stairs. It was getting really close to sunset and she could see them separate for a few steps. She had planned on letting it go for the night, but she got curious about what they were doing.

She raised the telescope again to focus in on them. Jack was trying to get Angelica to do something. He was pointing up and out at the sea ahead of them. Angelica was backing away and shaking her head. The look Jack was giving her was adorable, almost pleading. She wished she could hear them, or at least remember what had happened at this point. She continued her observation, watching Jack walk slowly back up to Angelica, hugging her again. They separated again and to Angie it looked like they were now climbing the rigging up to the crows nest. When they reached the top, Jack wrapped an arm around her and she leaned against him as they watched the sunset.

That was it, she was done torturing herself with things that would never be hers. She had had her chance and she had to accept that.

"I imagine it's hard for you" Came Elizabeth's voice behind her.

She snapped the telescope closed and spun around to face her. "I don't know what you're talking about. Nothing is hard for me anymore" She denied.

"Somehow that's hard to believe" Elizabeth said as she came to stand next to her. "I don't think I'd be able to stand watching the man I loved with someone else, even if he was with a version of my past."

"It's one of the things I came here to do, so I have no choice but to endure it." Angie said grimly. "I won't have to for long though"

"What do you mean? Why did you come back?"

"Elizabeth, in the future I lived, we were good friends. You helped me through some really hard times and I'd trust you with my life, but I don't think Jack would appreciate it if I told you"  
"Is this what Jack was talking about earlier? Why you two fought briefly?"  
"You could say that"  
Elizabeth gave her a look with a mixture of skepticism and confusion. "Tell me what happened, or will happen."  
"It's also because you're my friend that I don't want to tell you." Angie stated. "The event that I came to change not only crushed me, but it had devastating effects on you as well"  
That only made Elizabeth more insistent on finding out what she was talking about, but figured she needed to change her approach. She racked her brain for anything that could help her get through to Angie. Of course it was harder when the person you are trying to get information from is from the future. She thought back to earlier, then it hit her. She had willed herself not to react when Angie had made that obvious slip up with her name, but Jack wasn't here, so she thought she might as well ask her about it now.  
"Okay, but can you remind me of your full name?" Elizabeth tried to sound as nonchalant as possible.  
"Angelica Teach" Angie was a bit caught off guard by that, but she knew immediately why she was asked and was internally smacking herself for her stupid mistake.  
"Right..." Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "Do you have a middle name?"  
"Rosa"  
"That's very beautiful. So your full name is actually Angelica Rosa Sparrow?" She raised her eyebrows knowingly.  
"No, I never said that!" Angie snapped. "Why would you even think that?" She laughed uneasily.  
Elizabeth just looked at her disapprovingly and slowly Angie quieted. "I would think that because in whatever life time this is for you, you and her..." She appointed out at the Pearl. "Still love Jack Sparrow and I have a feeling that's it's mutual. Not to mention I heard that at one point you agreed to marry him anyways. And by the way, I noticed your slip of the tongue today, don't think I didn't notice that when Gibbs asked your name you almost answered with Angelica Sparrow. So don't give me that BS. Now tell me the truth or maybe we weren't as good of friends than you thought!"  
Angie narrowed her eyes. "You're right. I did make a mistake...and I did marry Jack... right before he died in my arms." Elizabeth gasped. "That's familiar isn't it? How we both married the men we loved right before they were taken from us? And here you are wondering why I didn't want to talk about it!" She watched as Elizabeth's expression became more sympathetic, but she didn't have the will to talk anymore. She turned to walk away but Elizabeth grabbed her arm.  
"Angie, I'm sorry, I didn't know."  
Angie yanked her arm away. "Of course not...it hasn't happened yet!" She said sharply. She turned away again but didn't walk away, she wanted to know what Elizabeth was possibly going to say to her.  
"If there's anything that I can do to help you fix what happened, because Jack is my friend too, and even though I don't care for him the same way as you, if you say that there is a way to keep him alive, I will support you in that." Elizabeth offered quietly.  
"I know you will." Angie answered without turning back. "As long as they don't have a reason to fight, leave the actual saving him to me, but in the case that I can't save him and I fail, I need you to try to get them married before we arrive"  
"What?!" How was she supposed to do that?  
"You should understand better than most, if he dies, I would rather them be happy for as long as possible before hand"  
"I'll see what I can do" Elizabeth still had no idea what she was going to do, but she would have to think about it. "Go sleep then, but as much as I can tell it pains you, we need to talk more about what's going to happen, tomorrow"  
"Sure, if we survive til then" Angie said over her shoulder as she started to walk away. She was somewhat kidding, but she wasn't going to tell Elizabeth that, she thought it better to just let her wonder.  
That worried Elizabeth deeply, but she disregarded that foreboding statement as nothing more than Angie's volatile emotional state. That, and she didn't wanted to ask, and if something was going to happen, she'd find out soon enough.  
She sighed and turned her gaze back to the Pearl. She expected to see that in the time she was talking with Angie, Jack and Angelica would have gone to bed. She was surprised to see Jack standing atop the crowsnest platform looking out behind the two ships. Angelica was standing next to him, her arms wrapped around his waist. Jack seemed like he was looking for something. She herself looked in the same direction but saw nothing. Before long they both carefully climbed down the rigging to the main deck. Elizabeth had nothing better to do than to just think to herself and watch them. It made her sad to think that there may be nothing that could be done to save Jack. She recalled the previous two times he had died, as if dying was an ordinary occurrence for him, and both times she was devastated. But both times it was possible to bring him back. What troubled her the most was that Angelica had found no other option than to go back in time in mere hopes that she could change it, not for herself, but for her past. Angie wasn't even certain that he could be saved. Elizabeth was already trying to prepare herself for whatever was to come, but she knew deep down that no amount of comforting could console her of the death of such a dear friend.  
On the other ship, Jack had just kissed Angelica. To Elizabeth, they were so cute together, and in that moment, she figured out what she was going to do but it would mostly consist of her telling Jack and him carrying it out. As Angelica retreated to the cabin, he ordered what looked like Cristina and Aaron to the night shift before he too went to retire for the evening.  
It was now completely dark out and eerily quiet, the only sound being the gentle sea lapping up against the wooden hull. She thought back to what Angie had said, and decided that if anything should happen, she might as well get some sleep before then. And then again, if she was just overthinking it, then it was a win-win, in addition to nothing bad happening, she may get some hours of uninterrupted sleep. She assigned a member of what was left of her crew to the helm before heading to bed. She hadn't realized how tired she was until she finally laid down and closed her eye, drifting easily into a deep sleep.

* * *

**A/N Sorry again it was short and kind of a tangent thought, but there will be some I guess you could say 'steamy' J/A coming up in the second part. :) Stay tuned. Feel free to let me know what you think. **


	44. Chapter 48

**A/N Okay, it's only been a few days. This chalter is non essential, and contains (I wouldn't quite go all the way to smut, but pretty darn close by the end...) so if that's not your thing, do skip ahead to the next chapter which hopefully will be done in another few days. The beginning is basically the J/A pov of last chapter before it gets into...that other stuff... (on a side note, this is type of writing is not my forte, so...yeah... I apologize now) **

**Anyways, thank you, as always, to all readers, reviewers, favorites and followers...yall are awesome!**

**Please enjoy...**

* * *

He didn't want her to make her cry, but he wanted her to understand. They stood for a few moments in each other's embrace until Jack, for the first time since returning to the deck, realized that it was getting late. He had an idea to hopefully spend better quality time with her rather than having her continue to cry, and hopefully he could also lighten the overall mood. That day had been a bit too depressing in his opinion.  
"Come on" Jack let go of her briefly and began sauntering down the stairs, only turning around when he didn't hear her behind him.  
"Where?" She asked softly.  
"Don't you trust me?" He asked her seriously.  
"I-I..." She didn't know. What was she supposed to say. Given everything he'd told her, she would have hoped that it would be easier to say yes, but it wasn't.  
"It's a yes or a no, luv" He said. "Just say yes and come watch the sunset with me"  
What watching the sunset had to do with trust, she didn't know, but he sounded genuine. "Yes, I think I trust you enough for that"  
"I'm glad" His eyes lit up and he grinned, before continuing his walk to the main deck.  
He stopped right by the portside rail and offered her a hand as soon as she came to stop right beside him.  
"I thought we were going to watch the sunset" She tilted her head in confusion.  
He was still grinning calmly at her. "We are, but I say we have a beautiful vantage point at our disposal, why not take advantage of it, savvy?" She looked slightly afraid and somewhat confused until he pointed up to the top of the main mast.  
"No Jack" She shook her head and backed up a few steps. "You've said it before, so I know you know that I don't like heights"  
He stepped up to her and rested his hand on her shoulders. "Look at me, I do know that, but I also know that you adore sunsets." She looked into his eyes then and saw only honesty. "I asked you if you trusted me and you said you did. Now I'm asking you to trust that if I thought you couldn't handle it, I wouldn't have suggested it."  
"I don't know"  
"You've done it before, granted it was mostly out of anger, but no matter, I'll be with you the whole time. I won't let anything happen to you" He promised. She nodded. He was so happy that she agreed, that he hugged her once more before helping her onto the rail of the ship. He let her climb up first so if she slipped he could catch her. As he climbed he found that he had a good view of the Dawn. He noticed a person, he assumed was Angie, peering through a telescope in his general direction. He wondered for a moment why she seemed to be watching them, but was soon distracted by Angelica's voice.  
"Jack?!" Her voice wavered. She struggled to turn her head to look at him, but as soon as she looked down she regretted it. She tried to focus on him but she couldn't. "I don't think I can go any further, not even for the best sunset ever"  
"What about for me then? I'm right 'ere, luv. Yer doin good, we're almost there." He said reassuringly. She made eye contact with him and found some confidence to keep going.  
When they finally got to the top, Jack sat with his feet hanging off the edge of the platform and helped Angelica to sit next to him. He wrapped an arm around her allowing her to lean into him.  
The sky was painted beautiful shades of orange and pink, mixed with brilliant reds and soft purples. They sat in comfortable silence for a few moments as the sun descended below the horizon.  
"I could get used to this" Jack said breathing a sigh of contentment.  
"Yeah, if we could stop getting into trouble, and if you stopped provoking dangerous people" She responded light heartedly. "You might also have to give up your insane adventures to find random treasure"  
"And if after this one, what if there is only one more treasure I want? Say one that I can't live without?" He questioned.  
"Tell me about it and I'll let you know, but don't assume anything" She said somewhat tiredly.  
"Well this particular treasure has managed to evade me on several occasions. I thought I finally had it several times, but things always kept me from it. I think I'm closer to her now than I have ever been, or at least I hope so"  
"Is that so? What's stopping you right now?"  
"Fear of the past and the future"  
"And if I said those fears are unjustified at the moment?" She said quietly.  
"I'd say we have too much of a history for them to not be" He returned.  
She sighed. Of course he couldn't just accept her response. "How I miss the days when we didn't have any secrets and we had some semblance of trust. Without the titles, without the charades, without an agenda and a destination. Where we are not Captain Sparrow and Ms Teach, but to each other we were just Jack and Angelica. With nothing to do other than just enjoy each other's company." She said dreamily.  
"Luv, I don't mean to ruin this for you, but things have never been like that with us. We both have agendas, and we both have pasts that the other doesn't know completely. Trust has always been an issue, you know that. You hardly had enough trust in me to watch the damned sunset" After he spoke he realized that he just shouldn't have said anything. He should have just let her dream. He could see that she had closed her eyes, and he felt her stiffen as she sat up slightly so she wasn't leaning on him anymore, but she didn't say anything.  
"I didn't mean that it couldn't ever be like that." He said quickly trying to recover and gain her attention back for at least a second. "Up here, that can be what it's like. Just me and you, no one else. Complete truth, no doubts, and unquestionable trust. Here, we are like you said, just Jack and Angelica, nothing more" He didn't mean it to sound as cheesy as it did, and was cursing himself for it.  
She glanced at him them and he smiled calmly at her. She couldn't help but return it with a small grin of her own. "What if I want us to be more?" She questioned suggestively, shifting closer to him again and looking him right in the eyes, searching for anything to give away what he was thinking.  
"If it's what you want" He said trying to keep his composure as well as eye contact with her.  
"Jack, what do you want?" She almost whispered, sitting up a little taller and leaning in ever so slightly, her lips barely brushing against his.  
"I-" She didn't give him a chance to answer before she gently pressed her lips to his, kissing him softly. He was too shocked to respond. He had not expected this turn of events.  
She pulled back to study his reaction, taking in every movement in his eyes. He snapped out of his shock and cleared his throat. "I was saying, that uh- are you sure about this?"  
She didn't answer, instead she gently removed his hat from his head before placing it on her own and looking up at him defiantly. He didn't dare even breath as he tried to read her eyes and her expression. He was either going to compliment her or question her, but as soon as he opened his mouth, she held a finger to his lips silencing him.  
"Like you said, no doubts" She said before removing her hand and kissing him with more enthusiasm than before, only this time he got the hint and responded with an equal intensity.  
They broke apart for a moment allowing each other to breathe, but still close enough to feel their combined warm breath between them.  
By now the sky was almost completely dark and even sitting extremely close to each other, it was getting hard to see. Angelica took a quick glance around them. Now that the sunset was over, the combination of darkness and unreasonable height they were off the deck was starting to unnerve her. She had been so focused on Jack that she almost forgot where they were sitting. "Jack, how much longer are we going to be up here?" She asked softly, her voice shaking ever so slightly.  
"Not a moment longer" He could tell she was getting uncomfortable. "Lets do this again shall we? How bout tomorrow evening?"  
"Same time, same place?"  
"Unless you have some way to watch the sunset in the afternoon, then I'd say yes, same time-ish granted we're not otherwise engaged."  
"Okay, can we go down now?" She felt she had been up there long enough.  
Jack nodded and stood up carefully. He helped her to stand next to him and she clung to him like her life depended on it. Jack was just about to start climbing down when he thought he saw something in the distance far behind their ships. It was too dark to see anything clearly, but he was curious. She did not have any desire to see what Jack was looking at, she just wanted to get down, but he wasn't moving. She rested her head against his shoulder. "How long til we get there?" She asked softly.  
"A day or two, I'm not sure, luv" He said not taking his eyes off the seas behind them.  
"Ja-ack...can we please get down sometime before morning?" She said slightly irritated.  
"Hmm, what? Oh yes of course" He said distractedly before he started climbing down the rigging. She followed him carefully and he helped her down as they reached the rail to the deck.  
"I will be havin my hat back now, luv"  
"If you want it, come and get it" She smiled slyly and stepped back.  
"Aren't we being playful all of the sudden" He raised an eyebrow at her and closed the gap between them.  
"If that's what you want to call it" She said, looking up at him. "But, you should know by now that I don't play games"  
"That I do miss Teach, that I do" Jack responded, his tone gruff and a devious glint in his eyes.  
"Oh and now you want to keep things professional Captain Sparrow?"  
"Aye, now if you don't want to end up in the brig I suggest you accompany me to my cabin" He practically growled. "So we can discuss your violations of the code"  
"And they are?" She asked innocently.  
"Well, my dear, for one, you were caught wearing the captain's hat, and we both know that no one touches the captain's hat"  
"Punish me then" She challenged.  
He cupped her face in his hand, and crushed his lips to hers. He wasn't too rough, but the kiss was not gentle either. It was passionate, but it lacked a certain amount of faness. She wanted it to last forever, but when he broke it off sooner than she would of liked, she couldn't hide the dissatisfied look that must have shown in her eyes. Jack took a step back and straightened his vest and shirt as he cleared his throat. "I'll be right with you Mss Teach. If you'd be so kind as to wait for me in my cabin, and we can continue your punishment more thoroughly in a moment"  
She didn't want to wait long for him, but she went along with it. "Aye Captain" She said as she stepped away from him and disappeared behind the door to his cabin. All he could do was watch her until she shut the the door. After a moment, he snapped out of it and quickly ran down to the crew deck, finding both Aaron and Cristina chatting about who knows what with a single lantern lit between them.  
"Ah good, you two" Jack announced as he came to stand near them. He noticed Aaron looking really tense so he quickly added. "At ease" and he visibly relaxed.  
"Aye Sir" Aaron answered.  
"Glad to see you two are getting along so well" Jack looked between them. Cristina blushed slightly while Aaron lowered his gaze to the floor and Jack just grinned.  
"Well, luckily, I'm in a good mood. You both have the night shift, so you will have to continue what ever this is" he made a gesture to both of them. "Up on the main deck"  
"Aye Sir" Aaron answered.  
Jack turned to head back upstairs and they were both behind him.  
"Did Angelica go to bed already?" Cristina asked.  
For a moment he'd almost forgotten. Thankfully it had only been a few minutes. "Not likely" Jack said as he stepped back onto the main deck. "As always on this ship, the rule is don't disturb me in my cabin unless it is of the utmost importance, got it?" He didn't even wait long enough to hear Aaron answer before he had slipped into his cabin and locked the door behind him.  
"What took you so long Captain?" She asked from behind him.  
He turned around slowly and almost had a heart attack when he saw her. She was sitting on the edge of the bed, wearing only a white shirt, a belt, and a pair of boots, all of which were his, and of course she still had his hat. He gaped at her before he began to formulate an answer.  
"I had...things to attend to" He said, his voice barely audible.  
"I see. And these things were important enough to make me wait here for you?" She raised an eyebrow at him.

"Yes, and no luv. You obviously needed a moment anyways to change into some..uh..different clothes"  
She smirked as she stood and walked seductively up to him. "I was going to ask, what do you think? Am I wearing enough clothes for you?"  
"I think, you are wearing a touch too many" He said, his voice dangerously low as he stepped towards her.  
"Oh really? And here I thought something was always better than nothing"  
"In this case, nothing would have been preferable. Yer playing with fire luv"  
Before she could respond, he wrapped a hand around her small waist and the other held her neck as he pressed his lips to hers. Without breaking the kiss, he undid the belt at her hips and tossed it away. He backed her into the bed, broke off the kiss and with more force than he intended, pushed her down so she was now lying on her back.  
"A little rough, don't you think?" She moaned, but she made no attempt to move. When he didn't answer, she propped herself up on her elbows to look at him, but he still didn't respond.  
Instead of just crawling onto the bed right away, he had a better idea. He kneeled down at the edge of the bed and slowly removed his boots from her feet. He gently took one of her ankles, and left a kiss right on the sole of her foot. His beard must have tickled her as she tried to pull her foot away, but he held on to it.  
"Jack, what are you doing, get up here" She demanded, but he ignored her and instead repeated his actions to her other foot, making her squirm a little.  
"Jack-" She tried again, but it was no use, he had to do everything his own way. She let herself lie back down on her back, relaxing her arms; she would just have to wait for him.  
He slipped off the boots he was wearing and quickly returned his attention to her. He left a trail of wet kisses up each of her legs. By the time he was within arms reach of her, she was practically shivering. She wanted, rather, needed him. She thought maybe he would be inclined to move faster if she removed her shirt herself. She reached for the buttons, but the moment she did, he caught her hands stopping her.  
"Getting a little impatient are we?" He said raising an eyebrow at her.  
She rolled her eyes and dropped her hands.  
"Thanks luv. I'll get rid of this for you" Without a real warning, he took both hands at the neck of the shirt and ripped it apart. He pulled the torn garment out from around her and tossed it away.  
"You could have just unbuttoned it" She said breathlessly.  
"But where's the fun in that?" He smirked as he brought his hand to gently brush against her face. She turned into his touch and left a soft kiss on his palm.  
He kissed her all over her face, only stopping occasionally to nibble on her ear, eliciting groans from her. All the while, she ran her hands up and down his back and chest, trying to imagine the exact location of every scar and every tattoo.  
He started pulling his shirt off, but as soon as the scars on his chest were visible, she unintentionally pulled her hands back, making him pause. He looked at her curiously for a long moment and then glanced down at his chest and sighed. 'Of course, how could he be so stupid? He should have known better than to show off his fresher scars to her' He quickly pulled his shirt back on and sat up.  
"Where do you think you're going Jack?" She asked, sitting up next to him.  
"To get a drink" He murmured. He was acting like he made a mistake, but she wouldn't have any of it. She tugged at the bottom of his shirt, but he pulled her hands back. "I don't think so, you don't want that"  
"And you would know?" She questioned, slightly annoyed. "You had your chance Sparrow, now it's my turn" She maneuvered now straddling him, and she quickly pulled off his shirt. She felt him shiver as she let her hand glide gently over two large scars on his upper chest.  
"What ever you want luv."  
"Yeah, well, I want you but I haven't gotten much of that yet have I?" She walked her hands somewhat forcefully up his chest. She gave him a quick glance then a shove and he fell back on to the bed. She managed to stay sitting upright, but she leaned down so she was inches from his face and whispered  
"I'm the captain now" She left a soft kiss on his cheek.  
He just looked up at her in awe of her audacity. "Not in my cabin luv" He said as he flipped them over so they were back the way they started with him on top.  
"Jack you still have too many clothes on" She almost whined as she trailed her hands along the waist band of his breeches.  
Once she brought that to his attention, He quickly removed the offending article of clothing. "Better?" He asked, resting on his fore arms, gazing down at her.  
"You know it's always better..." She breathed as she looked him up and down. "...like this"  
He leaned down to kiss her, and wasted no time in taking her to where she wanted to go. They kept up a steady rhythm until she climaxed, leaving them both breathless.  
Jack slid over next to her, and pulled her to him. She rested her head on his shoulder and cuddled up to him.  
"He, alright luv?" He asked, his voice hoarse.  
"Never better" She hummed tiredly, letting her eyes fall shut.  
"See you in the morning" He brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, before leaving a soft kiss on her forehead. It wasn't long before they both fell asleep and their ragged breathing became soft and quiet.

* * *

**A/N (I apologize for my poor editing job...my phone is not helpful) Also, the next chapter should be up in a few days...thanks for reading. **

**Have a great day!**


	45. Chapter 49

**a/N Hey, so I wasn't planning on splitting this day into two chapters, but I am really starting to hate making them so long, so yeah. I'm kind of happy, kind of sad, but the story is actually almost over if you can believe it...I'm thinking I can finish it in around 5 chapters. Thank you to everyone who has been supportive up to this point, and I hope everyone enjoys the ending I have planned. Anyways, please enjoy this chapter, it's pretty much just a filler, but still. **

* * *

Jack woke up early the next morning to Angelica's soft murmurs in her sleep. She was still impossibly close to him, with her head still resting on his shoulder.

He thought back to the day before. It had been mostly perfect after he had told Angelica about more of his past, but there was only one thing he didn't understand. He needed to know why Angie had gotten so upset. It was killing him that he didn't know everything that she knew. He had to talk to her, he needed to know.

He gazed at Angelica sleeping peacefully next to him. She looked so innocent, if only she knew what she would become should her future play out a certain way. He doubted she even knew of time travel. The more he thought about it, he realized he didn't understand either. Just one more thing Angie failed to explain. That was it, he couldn't take it anymore. He already knew he was going to die, but he didn't know how, or why, and he knew that Angie was keeping information from him.

He slowly shifted out from underneath Angelica, and pulled the sheet up around her. He threw on his clothes and boots, but it took him a few minutes to find his hat that got tossed somewhere last night in the midst of everything. At last he found it and placed it on his head. He also found a new shirt for Angelica to wear since he tore the other one the night before.

He quietly stepped out of the cabin, gently closing the door behind him. He was greeted by a salty sea breeze, and a slowly brightening sky. He found Aaron dozing off whilst leaning against the rail of the quarterdeck while Cristina manned the helm.

"Mornin Jack" Cristina greeted tiredly.

"Mornin, lass" Jack he raised an eyebrow at her curiously. He turned to Aaron and slammed his hand down on the rail next to Aaron's head. The younger man jumped up, clearly startled. "What do ye think yer doin...sleepin on the job, not only that but lettin the lady do all the work while yer sleepin" Jack growled.

"Jack, I don't mind really-" Cristina started, but Jack continued.

"You sorry excuse for a sailor, apologize for yer laziness and as punishment fer sleepin, yell take the day shift too"

"Aye Sir, but apologize really, what am I five? No, I'm a pirate, we don't apologize to anyone" Aaron said defiantly.

"This ain't bout piracy, lad, this is about character. Now I'm ordering you to do it or I'll throw you overboard" he was not in the mood for this.

"Sorry Cristina" Aaron muttered.

"There, not so hard was it?" Jack asked rhetorically. "Cristina, go take a nap er somethin, and if ye need anything, Aaron would be more than happy to do yer bidding, for the rest of the day. Savvy?"

"Okay, whatever Jack" She yawned an gave Aaron a sympathetic look as she turned to walk away.

Jack turned to Aaron and flicked him in the nose making him flinch. "That is not how ye get the girl lad" Jack stated unamused.

Aaron rubbed his nose. "What was that about?! You made me look weak in front of her!" Aaron snapped.

"Hold yer tongue, boy, I made ye look human to her. Which is what ye want. Second lesson, to yer girl, ye want to be as real as possible, with as few lies and secrets as possible, maybe don't trust me, but trust my advice, I have plenty of experience in this subject." Jack stated. "Now, since you are on duty for the next shift, catch us up to the Dawn, I have an appointment with her captain. When I get back granted I have time and am in the mood I'll give ye a lesson in sword fighting"

"Aye Sir" Aaron said as he turned the wheel so the sails would catch more of the wind. "And thanks"

"We had a deal, and although many people don't believe this, I do tend to hold up my end." He prepared a rope so he could just swing over to the other ship without either ship having to stop. He looked back up at Aaron. "Angelica is still sleeping by the way, if she asks for me before I get back, tell her I had to speak with Captain Swan, until then keep the ships lined up will ye"

"Aye Sir, I'll try" Aaron answered just as Jack took a running jump off the rail of the Pearl sending him through the air and landing him on the deck of the Dawn with a thud. He stood and brushed himself off. He had to find Angie...where would she be? Probably the lower deck, so that's where he headed first.

He only just stepped off the bottom step before he ran into Elizabeth. She looked very confused for a moment. "Jack? What are you doing here?"

"Good mornin to you too Elizabeth" He said.

"Sorry, I just didn't sleep very well, you know?" She said between yawns.

"Is Angie still sleepin, do ye know?"

"She is, but I need to talk to you" She said timidly.

"Aye, what is it?" He asked curiously.

"Lets perhaps talk over a drink" She suggested.

"Drinking? This early? Really?" He eyed her skeptically.

"Okay, fine...breakfast then? Is that better"

"Sure, I have no objections with drinking. I could have a rum at anytime during the day, it just seemed odd for you to suggest that. Are ye feeling alright?"

"Yes I'm fine" she rolled her eyes as she walked passed him and found her way into the galley. She got herself a piece of fruit while Jack of course found himself a bottle of rum. They sat down across from each other, but Elizabeth avoided eye contact with him. He took a drink of rum before setting it down on the table between them.

"What is it ye wanted to tell me?" Jack asked.

She didn't know if she could make herself even talk to him about this. She could hardly look at him now that she knew he was probably going to die, and there was nothing she could do about it.

"What's the matter?" Her excessive silence intrigued him. "Lizabeth, look at me" She could barely stop tears from running down her cheeks when he spoke to her like that. She looked at him then and felt awful. "What has gotten into you, what are ye cryin for?" He asked as he came to kneel down next to her. "Take a deep breath and tell me what's the matter"

She didn't really care how it looked to anyone, he was one of her best friends. She threw her arms around his neck and cried into his shoulder. "I-I can't go through it again. Not a third time, Jack" She mumbled.

He could barely hear her above her sobs. "Through what? Calm down Lizzie"

"I know Jack." She said pushing herself off of him and wiping her eyes. "I know that you're going to die in only a matter of days! How are you not phased by that?!" His expression became stoic.

"Angie told you" It wasn't a question.

"Yes she did"

"Damn. Did she tell you anything else?"

"Not a whole lot except that she didn't know if she could even save you" Elizabeth seemed like she hadn't finished, but she had regained her composure, so Jack returned to his seat across from her and took another sip of his rum.

"Jack?" Here goes her plan. "Do you love Angelica?"

"What's this about? " He asked.

"Do you?" She asked again.

"I suppose"

"It's a yes or a no Jack. You can't supposedly love some one"

"Fine" He grumbled. " Yes"

"So what are you going to do about it since you are scheduled to die very soon?"

"Nothing." He stated with a tone of finality that surprised her.

She gaped at him. "What do you mean nothing, you can't do nothing! Do you understand me?! You Are Going To Die and you aren't going to do anything?!" She was outraged and she wasn't even in love with him. She was his friend, at least she hoped so, and she needed to knock some sense into him.

"What would you have me do?" He asked with no small amount of annoyance.

"Anything! I mean, at least you two have stopped fighting, but still!"

"And what if we are still fighting?" He asked hypothetically.

"You aren't." She sighed. "I saw you two last night. I must say, I didn't expect that from you, but it was pretty adorable."

He chose to ignore the fact that she just called him adorable. "What is it with you people...I saw that Angie seemed to be paying us some attention. I thought nothing of it, but now I'm curious"

"Hold on, what do you mean 'you people'?!" She asked a bit taken aback. "We are your friends"

"Yes yes, sorry." He muttered. "What is it you two were doing?"

"Sufficient to say, she is more than a little jealous of you two." She said carefully.

"That's bloody stupid" He almost laughed, but Elizabeth glared at him.

"Not if you knew that she was only married to you during your dying minutes in which you eventually died in her arms"

"I suppose not, so what?"

"This is what she wants by the way, not that I don't think it wouldn't be good for you eventually, I just think it's a little rushed." She started.

"Go on, what does she want?" He questioned.

"She thinks you should marry Angelica before we arrive" She said hesitantly.

"I don't know about that" He thought a moment. "Hold on, I thought you just said she was jealous, why would she want that?"

"I'm not sure I completely understand myself, but she said she wanted you to be happy for the last few days of your life if she can't save you"

"Oh, right" He rolled his eyes. "And what? I'm just supposed to waltz up to her and make her marry me. You my dear are insane"

"Then don't make her, ask her. You asked her before, and she said yes of course, and more than likely she'll say yes again"

"Not to mention she still doesn't trust me completely"

"Do you trust her completely?" Elizabeth asked pointedly.

"Yes. I trust her not to trust me" He said.

"Oh come on Jack, just do it. For all you know these could be your very last days on Earth and you won't even consider it?! Think about this, if your areservation kiled tomorow, then it wont matter if you had married her or not "

"Yes, but, I won't do it. Not until I get answers from Angie." He compromised.

"That can be arranged" She grinned.

"How am I supposed to pull this off?" Jack contemplated. "I don't even have a ring, I have absolutely nothing to offer her"

"Just offer her yourself. Offer her your heart, and your love for all the time you may have left. That is more than she should expect from you, and it is the most precious thing you could possibly give her"

"How touching" He said sarcastically. He tried to imagine Angelica's expression and response if he were to say something like that to her. All he thought of was either a slap in the face, or some very harsh laughter, both of which he didn't want.

"Jack, I'm being serious. Ask her today, and it can be over with this evening. You and I can work on the rest of the arrangements , I can't promise any thing fancy, but I can make it happen, as I do happen to be a captain. Also, you should see if you can get Cristina and Aaron to help us"

"Fine" He grumbled. "She wanted to watch the sunset again tonight, so I'll ask her then" She rounded the table and patted him on the shoulder.

"Great, I can't wait. This is so exciting" She grinned.

"You seem more happy about this than myself, why?" He asked skeptically.

"Well, I didn't really have a proper wedding like I had imagined as a young girl, so I want to make it special for you"

"Oh it'll be special alright...it will be something else entirely" He said quietly.

"Don't be such a downer, good grief Jack"

"Yes indeed Jack, cheer up, you'll be a married man by tonight" A new voice said from the doorway. They both turned to see Angie leaning against the door.

"Good morning Angie" Elizabeth greeted.

"Mornin" She said as she came to sit next to her and across from Jack. "Morning Jack"

"Mornin" He said lowly. "I have some questions for you and you better have some damn good answers!"

"Now what exactly is that you want to know?" She asked raising her eyebrows knowingly at him.

"How were you able to come back in time?" Jack asked.

"And I want to know exactly how he is going to die" Elizabeth chimed in.

Angie sighed. "Those are not easy questions to answer"

"Just start talking" Jack demanded.

"Fine fine" Angie replied nonchalantly. "First off Elizabeth" She turned to look at her. "Jack was killed by my old friend, while under the influence of the treasure which is why I had no alternative than to go back in time. By now, Jack has already met him, and unwittingly spared his life"

"Jack?" Elizabeth questioned. He had a blank look on his face and merely shrugged. They both turned back to Angie.

"His name isn't important, but the people he works for are very dangerous. For the life of me, I can't remember what they call themselves-"

"What do you mean you don't remember?!" Jack interrupted earning a harsh glare from Angie.

"I mean...the sorcerer that I bargained with to help send me back in time, to save your life, informed me that it was part of the deal to be sent back in time that I wouldn't be able to remember specific things. Things like how I was sent back in time, why you couldn't be brought back through other means, and other less significant things. So no, I don't remember."

"Wait, hold up a second...so you..." He pointed at Angie. "Found some sorcerer in the future, to send you back in time to stop me from being killed by some old friend of yours that just so happens to work for a very dangerous organization"

"Funnily enough though, he went rogue and actually wasn't sent by his organization, he killed you on his own accord" Angie said thoughtfully.

"Then why bother with telling us that he is part of this group, if his leaders aren't even a threat?" Elizabeth was confused.

"And if he is acting alone, shouldn't his name be important to us?"

"How did you get this information?" Jack eyed Angie suspiciously.

"He told me, right before I killed him" She answered coolly. "And to answer your question, Elizabeth, they are a threat, but not right now, and if Jack lives, he will be able to live without attracting their attention"

"Okay never mind that this is getting to confusing for me, so whomever it is, if he told you he was acting alone, why didn't you just go back in time to kill him instead, so he wouldn't even have the opportunity when we arrive" He said before drinking some more rum and finishing off the bottle.

"I was going to, but this one's husband" She nodded to Elizabeth. "decided to give me some last second words that distracted me. The way the whole thing worked was that while the ritual was being performed, I was to think of the date and person I wanted to be sent back to, which originally was your killer before you even met him, that was until Will opened his mouth."

"Will was with you?" Elizabeth asked. She nodded. "You both were"

"How?"

"Using the treasure, he was released from his obligation to the Dutchman." Angie answered.

Talk of Will only reminded Elizabeth of her son. "If we were with you, tell me my son was okay."

Angie grimaced and sighed before looking at her. Elizabeth gasped, and Jack couldn't help feeling sorry for her.

"What happened?" Elizabeth asked quietly.

"What happened to Alex is mostly why you both helped me, because if I save Jack in two days, Alex will live." Angie explained, but Elizabeth's expression remained unchanged. "Trust me, you don't want to know more than that, and you don't need to"

"I guess I should thank you in advance then."

"Not yet, wait until after two days from now to thank me" Angie stated before she stood to leave. Jack and Elizabeth watched her as she went to leave the room. She stopped just short of the door and turned back to face them. "Jack, you only have one real chance to be with me before tomorrow, don't mess it up" And with that she left the room.

"Damn" He muttered.

Elizabeth put a hand on his shoulder. "You'll be fine, just don't forget, be sincere, and don't doubt yourself. It is a risk, but you have to ask yourself if you're willing to take it" Soon after she spoke, she too left the galley.

He hated talking about emotions, and he liked even less to assume those of others. Generally the most notable emotion when it comes to him is either fear or hatred. So when he assumes it's something better than that, it makes him nervous although he would never admit it. He only sat there a moment longer, before he too left the galley.

The sun was a little higher in the sky when he stepped back on deck. Thankfully for him, the two ships were still aligned and fairly close. He found a rope he could use to swing back to the Pearl. He glanced up to see Angie and Elizabeth watching him. Angie only nodded at him and Elizabeth wished him luck.

Without a moment's hesitation, he took a running jump off the rail of the Dawn and landed himself back on the deck of the Pearl. Aaron flinched tiredly with each of Jack's steps up to the helm. "Cap't?"

"Anything to report lad?" Jack asked.

"No Sir" he drawled sleepily.

Jack narrowed his eyes at him. "You're relieved, send someone up 'ere to take over. I can't have ye crashin me ship."

Aaron nodded and practically dragged himself below deck. Jack waited until he could see the man coming up the stairs before he excused himself and returned to his cabin. He breathed a silent sigh of relief when he saw that she was still asleep.

He tossed off his boots and sat on the edge of the edge of the bed looking down at her. He didn't know if he could do it. It was true he had asked her before, but it never seemed like it was actually going to happen. He didn't know if he could ask for her hand in marriage a third time. All of these thoughts and doubts were racing through his head, but he was grateful that she was peacefully asleep, hopefully without any tormenting thoughts that might cause her stress. She didn't deserve that. Right now, sleep was her friend.

She must have sensed his presence because she shifted slightly and mumbled his name. He couldn't help but grin at that. He maneuvered so he would be lying next to her, and he draped an arm over her waist and gently pulled her closer to him. He allowed his eyelids to fall shut as he breathed in her scent, burying his nose in her hair.

A smile played across her lips when she heard his deep breathing and felt his heartbeat against her back. "Mmm, Jack, good morning" she hummed as she rolled over to face him.

"Mornin, luv" He grinned.

"How far away are we?" She asked before yawning.

"Didn't sleep well, and here I was thinking you were tired last night" He said getting a playful smack on the arm. "Ow-we should be getting there very late tonight or very early tomorrow"

"So we have plenty of time then" She said before kissing him quickly, taking him by surprise. He deepened the kiss and pushed her onto her back, holding his weight off of her with one hand and caressing her cheek with the other.

He took a moment to just look down at her. Such beauty and mystery shown in the darkness of her curious eyes. He tried to memorize the contours of her cheeks, the fullness of her lips, and the smoothness of her skin all as if it was going to be the last time he would see her. She looked up at him curiously, and he couldn't help but smile widely down at her. With each passing moment of just looking at her, he fell more and more in love with her if it were possible, and more at ease with the idea of asking her again for her hand. Forget about what would happen if she said no, he was almost more afraid of her actually saying 'yes'. He knew she was one for tradition and that she was religious. He also knew that this makeshift wedding, that Elizabeth for some reason volunteered to put together, would not include a church, a real priest, or any actual ceremony other than the few things Elizabeth would read to them. For all he knew, she might just reject him for that very reason of not having a proper wedding.

He didn't even realize that he was still looking down at her, but his smile was soft and his eyes must have shown some of his doubts because the playful glint that had been present in her eyes was replaced with a look of slight skepticism.

"What Jack?" She tilted her head slightly to the side. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Hmm?" He was so caught up in her beauty and his thoughts that he almost forgot to answer her. "Oh, uh, I don't-I didn't-I was- sorry luv" He stuttered before he let himself fall flat on his back next to her. She turned to face him and raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"Deep in thought were you?"

"You caught me" He said, as he put an arm around her.

"About what?" She asked softly.

"Us" It wasn't quite a lie.

"Us?" She questioned glancing up at him. "What about us?"

He wasn't going to ask her now, he wanted to wait until later, and he would make this day perfect for her if it killed him. "Just how much better I feel when I'm with you" He lied. It was a true statement in and of itself, but it wasn't what he had been thinking about.

He must not have sounded genuine enough, because she just smiled and nudged him playfully. He winced slightly, he desperately didn't want that to be her response when he actually asked her. Her yelling at him was preferable to her not taking him seriously like that. But he didn't want her to get suspicious, so he gave her a weak smile.

"Haha Jack, funny, now why don't you tell me what you were really thinking about"

He tried to keep from frowning, from showing the disappointment he felt. "Nothing luv, don't worry 'bout it" he murmured.

"Fine, maybe I should just go back to sleep if you won't kiss me and you won't talk to me. Don't you have some important captain duties to attend to?!" She huffed and rolled over facing away from him.

"Come on, none of that" he slipped an arm around her waist and gently pulled her to him. "I have nothing that's more important to me than you"

"Then why don't you act like it?" She muttered.

"Please darling, can we not fight today? Can we just put everything aside and be happy in each other's company? Please?" Jack practically begged.

"I'd like that" she agreed so softly that if he wasnt listening for a reply he wouldnt have heard her.

* * *

**a/N so I hope it wasn't to boring, and I purposely left answers to certain questions up to the imagination. So I apologize for that. Anyways, please leave a review if you liked it, or a review if you didnt. ;) stay tuned for the next chapter, it's mostly done and the wait shouldn't be too long. :) Have a wonderful day/night!**


	46. Chapter 50

**A/N Okay okay, I know I said it wouldn't take so long, but school just started and since this story is almost over I wanted to make these last chapters good. Also, I apologize for this happy chapter, it's a bit OOC for like everyone, but hey, what can I do? Anyways, thank you to all who read this story, and an extra thanks to reader/reviewer flightofthestrom777, you are awesome! Thank you for all of your support. I'd also like to give a shout out to guest reader/reviewer readercat. Thank you for your reviews, they mean a lot. **

**This chapter isn't terribly exciting, but the end is near and I hope you all stay tuned! Without further a due, please enjoy! (Also please excuse my mistakes)**

* * *

"Thank you" he kissed her on the cheek quickly before he got up. "Do you want to come with me, or shall I go fetch breakfast?"  
She grinned up at him as she stood from the bed. She dressed as fast as she possibly could not even looking at what she was putting on before she gladly took Jack's arm to lead him out of the room. She was starving.  
He sighed, not moving an inch while she was practically tugging on his arm. "Luv, slow down, the food isn't going anywhere. And neither are you dressed like that" He said glancing her up and down.  
She looked down at herself. She was wearing a shirt, pants, and boots, she didn't see the problem.  
"Yer shirt's on backwards" He told her.  
She sighed and fixed it. "Better?"  
"Almost." He said before he brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. He found her hat and gently placed it on her head. "Perfect, now let's find you something to eat"  
They both left for the galley, and they were just about to enter, but they stopped just short of the door when they heard muffled voices inside.  
Jack slowly opened the door and they both slipped inside as quietly as possible.  
It was Aaron and Cristina chatting about who knows what, but they hadn't even noticed Jack or Angelica. Jack held a finger to his lips indicating to Angelica to be quiet so they could listen.  
"On the captain's bad side already?" Cristina asked before she took a drink from the bottle that sat on the table in front of her.  
Aaron shook his head before he answered. "I was on his bad side before I even got on the ship"  
"Oh yeah I remember now" She chuckled. "Because you kissed Angelica, right?"  
"If you must know she actually kissed me, not the other way around"  
Jack glanced at Angelica who had a mixed look of fear and guilt on her face. He didn't care though, he had already yelled at her once over that incident and he certainly wasn't going to bring it up today, so he turned his attention back to the two sitting at the table across the room.  
"But you threatened her didn't you?" Cristina asked. Neither of them had noticed that other two yet, and Jack was more than fine with that. He wasn't going to bring it up with her, but that didn't stop him from wanting to hear what Aaron was going to say.  
"At first, but after a moment she stopped paying attention to me and was intentionally glaring past me, at who I later figured was Jack." He explained. Jack was just about to make himself known to them, but Aaron started talking again. " I haven't yet been able to understand their relationship though. They seem to be either madly in love, or completely at war with each other."  
Angelica looked up at Jack, but now his expression seemed to be more uneasy than before although his attention was still focused on the people in front of him.  
"I have known them both for a fairly long time, and I still don't understand why either of them thinks they love the other" Cristina said.  
Aaron thought a moment, appearing to be considering something. "They aren't married are they? I mean I know he called her his fiancée, but it's not official is it?" Angelica let her shoulders slump and her gaze fall to the floor. She only looked up again when she felt his arm around her, comforting her.  
Jack raised his eyebrows curiously waiting for Cristina's answer, although he knew the answer was no.  
"No" she said firmly. "It's partially my fault, but it's mostly their personalities. They are both head strong, natural leaders, and they both value their freedom. I'd be very surprised if it ever actually happened" She explained.  
That was it, he didn't need to hear anymore.  
Jack cleared his throat and they both jumped, their heads snapping around to look at him.  
"Interesting that ye feel that way" He said and they both just gaped at them.  
"H-how much of that did you hear?" Aaron asked nervously.  
"Enough" Jack answered nonchalantly as they strolled over to where Aaron and Cristina were sitting.  
Angelica sat next to Cristina while Jack dug around in the different crates for things to eat. Both Aaron and Cristina averted their gaze away from Angelica, ashamed of the fact that she had overheard them talking about her and Jack.  
After only a moment Jack returned with a plate of assorted fruit, setting it on the table in front of them before he disappeared back into the cooking area.  
Angelica was the first to speak. "You two seem to be getting along petty well" she observed.  
Cristina and Aaron glanced at each other and nodded silently. The only sound that broke the awkward silence was a crash that came from the kitchen just before an assortment of muffled curses.  
"Cristina would you mind coming in here for a moment?" Jack asked.  
They all looked at her and she just shrugged before she got up to see what he wanted.  
"What do you-I didn't know you could cook" She stated. Jack somehow managed to find a way to cook eggs in a pan and was watching them intently.  
"Never mind that" he said in a hushed voice. "I need your help"  
"With what?" She asked.  
"Shh"  
"Sorry, what is it? What's wrong?" She practically whispered.  
"I know you just said you could never see us getting married, and on principle I am not sure about it, but I need you to help set up a semi traditional wedding by tonight"  
She just stared at him. "Do you know anything about weddings?!" She hissed.  
"A bit, why, what's the issue?" He asked.  
"The issue, Jack, is that weddings take a massive amount of planning, we don't have the time"  
Jack turned back to the sizzling pan in front of him. "Start with the most important things and we'll go from there"  
She rolled her eyes. "You need a priest, generally at least one bridesmaid and one groomsman, vows, a suit for you and a dress for her, and rings. Also someone to walk her down the isle"  
"Most of that is easy. Elizabeth will act as the priest since she is a captain, You and Aaron will be the bridesmaid and groomsman, and Daniel or whatever his name is can walk her down the isle. I can improvise my vows and she doesn't know, so she can either improvise too or just not say anything. I'm sure I can make myself look presentable and there is bound to be a dress for her around here somewhere. So that just leaves the rings"  
"Wait, what do you mean she doesn't know?!" Cristina snapped.  
"I haven't asked her yet" he said quietly. "And if she says no, I'm probably going to die in the next two days anyways so what difference does it make?"  
"Oh" she didn't know what to say to that, so she returned to the ring situation. "Jack aren't you always wearing a ton of rings, give her one of those." Cristina suggested.  
Jack shook his head. "She would obviously know it had been mine, besides," he held up his hand to show her. "I don't want her to have any of these, because each one of these was taken from an innocent person I'd killed. They're a reminders of the mistakes I've made. They all represent innocent blood on my hands" He said grimly. "No, I'd like her to have one that she hasn't seen on my hands."  
"I didn't know that, you carry a lot of weight with you Jack" Cristina said softly.  
"Yes, I do. Now if I don't bring her something to eat soon, she is going to get suspicious. As bridesmaid, I'll leave you in charge of getting the rings, make Aaron help you." He said as he scooped the eggs onto some plates.  
"How are we supposed to do that by tonight?" She questioned.  
Jack shrugged. "It's your job, figure it out. But I would like to see them before the ceremony, savvy?"  
"We'll try Jack" Cristina assured.  
"Good, now is there anything else I need to know?" Jack asked now balancing a few plates on one arm and some glasses in his other hand.  
"Well, traditionally, the groom isn't supposed to see the bride before the wedding it's considered bad luck"  
"I don't give a damn. I don't have the luxury of having plenty of time and I'll be damned if I don't spend the day with her on account of bad luck" He said with a tone of finality. "Now we just have to act normal"

In the other room, Aaron was still staring down at the table.  
"What's the matter with you?" Angelica asked.  
"Hmm? N-nothing, I'm just tired m'lady" He answered nervously. "Sorry"  
"For being tired?" She raised an eyebrow at him.  
"No" He looked up at her then. "For getting you in trouble with the captain"  
"I-" She started but Jack interrupted her.  
"Forget it lad." That surprised her, what was going on with him today? He was acting very strange. "Now who's hungry?" He asked placing the plates on the table in front of them. Cristina reclaimed her seat next to Angelica while Jack sat next to Aaron again.  
"I didn't know you could cook" Angelica said. "But it smells good"  
"Eat up" he said before digging into the food in front of him.  
The rest of the meal was pretty quite. When they were finished Angelica was surprised again by Jack, who cleared the table.  
He walked back into the room. "We have the day shift Angelica, shall we?" He offered her his arm. She nodded slowly. "Don't forget the duties I assigned to ye" he said back to Cristina and Aaron.  
He didn't wait for a reply. They made their way up to the main deck, and all the way up to the helm.  
"What was that about?" She asked suspiciously.  
"Oh, nothing darlin, just some things that needed to be done" He said as he took the wheel and adjusted their course.  
She came to stand next to him and leaned her head on his shoulder.  
"You seem rather relaxed today" He surmised, putting an arm around her.  
"And you seem more tense than usual, now why is that?" She slipped out from under his arm and came to stand between him and the wheel. "Don't even think about telling me that nothing has changed, you are acting different, Jack, and I want to know why"  
He sighed. "I'm afraid you'll just have to wait until this evening"  
"And if I were to say that I won't be joining you this evening unless you tell me right now?" She asked, and she didn't understand the hurt and disappointed look in his eyes. They were not as soft and open as they had been moments before, now they were cold and guarded and she couldn't read them.  
"I guess it's both of our losses then" He said coolly. "In less than two days it likely won't matter anymore" He really needed to stop talking. At the rate he was going, there would be no way they could avoid an argument. "Would ye mind luv" he waved his hand at her to move out of his way.  
She nodded and stepped to the side. She still had no idea what he was talking about, but she had gathered that it was important to him for some unknown reason.  
They stood for a long moment in a suffocating silence until Jack spoke. His voice seemed strained but it lacked any noticeable emotion. "You are not apart of the crew and you have no obligation to be up here." She looked at him then trying to determine the reason for his sudden change in tone and expression, but she didn't answer, nor did she move.  
"Technically speaking, I owe Cristina a ship, before this is over, I'll leave orders for her to take you wherever you want before she is to meet up with Gibbs and trade ships with him. I'd rather see the Pearl in his hands than anything else" He continued without so much as a glance in her direction. If marriage was out of the mix, he might as well make arrangements for after his death. It most certainly wasn't his favorite topic, but things had to be done, with or without her.  
"Jack, we talked about this, I can handle myself. And whether you like it or not, you have to understand that" She snapped. "I don't need a babysitter, and I'm not going anywhere" Clearly she didn't understand what he meant. He sighed and let his eyes close.  
Always about her. It was so infuriating some times. Although she didn't know it, he was planning something nice for her and she just couldn't wait to know. She was so impatient that she could even turn what was going to be good into one of their usual fights, and unknowingly reinforcing the doubts he had in the first place. He almost wished he was dead already so he wouldn't say what he was about to. He had already used up all of his patience and will power to make this a good day between them and there was no way to stop him from barking things he didn't want to say right back at her. He knew he was a bastard, but even that knowledge couldn't stop him.  
He tried to make himself ignore her, but he couldn't stop himself from turning swiftly to face her. "Not everything is about you! Listen sweetheart, I care bout you and all, but honestly there should be more pressing matters to me than your feelings at the moment. But no, instead of dwelling on my end in less than two days, I tried to keep things good between us for at least a day so I could surprise you later with something, something I might add, that you have expressed an interest in before. It was probably the best and last good thing I could do for you in this life, but oh no. Not a bloody chance of that" He barked, his eyes were blazing and his blood was boiling.  
"Ja-" He had spoken so fast and with such rage in his tone that she could barely understand what he meant, and before she could ask, he interrupted her.  
"No, just shut up already, I don't want to hear what you can and can't do by yourself. And I don't need to be told that the world doesn't revolve around me either."  
"Sor-" She winced when he cut her off again.  
"Don't apologize" He demanded a little too harshly. When he noticed her flinch at his words, he paused. Seeing her hurt in anyway because of him was enough to make him feel like he was already dying. Choking to death on the words he threw at her like knives. He ran his hands over his face before he spoke again, this time softer. "Please darling, just don't." He slowly shook his head and backed away from her as if his mere presence was going to cause her physical pain. "I don't deserve your forgiveness not again"  
"Jack wait" She said trying to get him to stop walking away from her. She wasn't upset. She was mostly confused. He had been yelling at her, but she didn't have the slightest clue as to why. She wanted to know what was wrong with him. "I'm not mad, Jack. Just stop right there" She crossed over to where he was standing, stopping not more than a few inches away from him.  
"Tell me what's- " She couldn't finish before he brought his lips to hers smothering anything else she was going to say. She noticed right away that this kiss was different. It felt awful, like he was leaving her all over again. It felt apologetic, it felt like...goodbye. He broke it off and just glanced down at her, afraid of what he would find in her eyes. But his suspicions were correct, he saw sorrow, disappointment, confusion and perhaps worst of all, disbelief, all mixed and reflected in her soft chocolate brown eyes.  
"Don't" Was all she could muster. Their eyes were locked and neither seemed as if they wanted to look away.  
"Jack!" Cristina yelled from the main deck snapping them both out of the trance that had befallen them.  
He stepped away from her without answering, leaving her gaping after him. After a moment of hushed talk with Cristina, he dared a glance back up to Angelica. She was watching him intently.  
"I'll send someone to take over for me" He shouted.  
Angelica was still too awestruck to answer verbally, so she just nodded slowly.

He turned back to Cristina who looked more than a little confused. "What is it?"  
"Uh, I thought you would like to hear that we found wedding bands for you" She said quietly. He glanced back at Angelica, who appeared as if she were only guessing what they were doing, but he didn't want to risk her hearing them.  
"Come on" Jack muttered before leading them down stairs.  
When they were out of Angelica's earshot, Cristina pulled a pair of almost matching golden rings out of her pocket and held them out to Jack. He took them and held them up to examine them. "Where did you get these?"  
"Aaron had the brilliant idea to do a 'routine' search of the prisoners in the brig. Turns out some of them were either married, or they just enjoyed wearing rings. "She shrugged. "We also came across a few silver ones, but I figured you always wanting the best, would rather have gold"  
"Yer right, I would." He handed them back to her. "Too bad I don't need them anymore"  
She shook her head and sighed. "What did you do this time?"  
"The usual" He said, but she knew that it meant they fought again. "Talk to her, will ye?"  
"Fine" She grumbled. "Anything else my liege?"  
"Oh come on. Can you just keep her away from me right now? I'd like to observe that tradition of not seeing the bride before the wedding."  
"But I thought you just said you weren't-"  
"Exactly, now where's Aaron at?" Jack asked.  
"The brig still, I think he was finishing up with the prisoners" She said as she started climbing the stairs again, but stopped when she heard his voice behind her.  
"Thank you. By the way, keep those silver rings for yerself, you might want them at some point" He smirked and winked at her. She nodded and kept on walking.  
Jack soon found himself trekking down to the brig. When he arrived the first thing he noted was Aaron leaning his head against a support beam looking as pale as a ghost.  
Jack curiously stepped forward and tried to get a better look at the younger man's face, but stopped when he felt and heard the squish of a red sticky liquid under his boots. He slowly let his eyes take in the horror show around him "Oi, what happened here?" He asked.  
"Mm Mmm" Aaron squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head. Jack took another quick glance at the area around them. Aaron had spots of blood all over him, his sword was covered in it and it was now lying in a puddle of the same blood on the floor near his feet. Most of the prisoners were trying not to gag, while others were ignoring the scene altogether. A few were wiping blood splatter off of their faces, but none of them explained where all of the blood came from. Jack glanced over the prisoners again and this time he noticed one of them was fiercely gripping one arm with the other, and to Jack's horror, one of the man's hands had been cut clean off. Unfortunately for Jack, he couldn't avoid noticing the severed hand twitch slightly in the surrounding pool of blood. That sight sent a shiver down his spine, but he shook it off immediately.  
Jack grabbed Aaron by the shoulders and forcefully helped him to sit down.  
He left only for a moment and returned swiftly with some rum. He knew Aaron wasn't the only one who needed it. He passed Aaron a bottle and he took it, but the expression on the younger man's face was unchanged, horrified and looking nauseous.  
"Drink up before ye pass out" Jack advised just prior to taking a drink from his own bottle. Aaron did as well, but only ended up coughing.  
"What in God's name came over you boy?" Jack's curiosity finally taking over.  
"He was defending the integrity of that lady" One of the prisoners spat. Jack just turned to glare at him. "Did I ask you?" He looked back at Aaron who had still yet to bring any of the color back to his face.  
"Come on, we'll clean up this mess later, ye need some fresh air. Let's go" Jack said clapping the young man on the shoulder and helping him up the stairs until they reached the main deck.  
For most of the rest of the day, Jack ended up sitting, drinking, and talking with Aaron, as well as doing a fairly good job of avoiding Angelica. He tried not to think about her, although he found it hard since she never left the deck, not even once.  
At one point, he became so distracted that he needed to do something else, and he really needed to change the scenery, so he quickly suggested a sword lesson in the early evening. But Jack knew he had to make it more interesting, because he definitely couldn't let himself get distracted during that sort of thing. And by that, of course he meant more dangerous, so they ended up going over their foot work whilst practicing their balance atop the tallest mast on the ship. By the time they finally decided to call it quits, the sun was low on the horizon. Jack dismissed Aaron and reminded him to get someone to clean up the floor of the brig. It turned out that he was grateful for the diversion his young deck hand provided him. He may actually have enjoyed relaxing a little, it wasn't his company of choice, but it certainly hadn't been awful. Not such a terrible way to spend one of his last days on Earth.

Hours earlier on the main deck she had just let him kiss her and she was now watching him walk away.  
She was still standing there when Cristina came to stand next to her.  
"Angelica, Angelica...What happened? Are you alright?" Cristina asked softly.  
"I don't know. He got so upset but he said nothing that told me why..." She muttered.  
"If it makes you feel better, he never said anything about not telling you, if you really want to know why he was acting funny today." Cristina offered.  
Angelica looked at her then and Cristina took that as a yes so she continued. "I'm sure he didn't want you to know, but the reason why he was acting so nice, calm, and collected was because he wanted to be on good terms with you by the evening so he could propose to you once again, only this time, he was making arrangements to have the ceremony right afterward, tonight" She explained.  
"Really?!" Angelica asked in disbelief.  
Cristina smiled warmly. "You should have seen him. This morning in the galley all he was talking about were things that needed to be done to make it as traditional for you as possible, because he knew that's the kind of wedding you would have wanted. Of course I thought it couldn't have been done, but he was so insistent that he wanted to make today one of the best days of your life"  
"You can't be serious" Angelica said incredulously, before covering her face in her hands knowing that she had heard the truth. "Why the hell do I always end up messing up my life?!"  
"I don't know if you want to hear this or not, but something he said earlier has been bothering me, and it's apparent that it is stressing him out too, which is why I think he must have been so upset earlier" Cristina started, and Angelica looked up at her again. "Has he told you?"  
"Told me what?"  
"Well, um, he said that he was going to die in less than two days" She stated. " He really told you nothing?"  
She shook her head. "What else did he say?"  
"Nothing until I just spoke with him. He said you two fought, but nothing on his death, I'm sorry"  
Angelica couldn't find any words at all to match what she was feeling. Even then she wasn't even sure what she was feeling. Was she angry or concerned. She was furious at someone that was for sure, but she didn't know if it was with him because he didn't tell her, or with herself because he was about to die and yet he was trying to please her and what did she do?  
Things had been getting better between them at last, and the night before that she had spent with him had been wonderful. How could their relationship be that fragile that they could be torn apart by that one final argument? If he really was going to die soon, she wanted, no, needed to fix things between them.  
"What can I do?" Her voice nothing more than a murmur.  
Cristina sighed and smiled weakly at her. "Give him space and a little bit of-"  
She trailed off when she noticed Jack followed by Aaron come onto the main deck. "Time" She finished.  
Jack paid them no attention, or rather seemed not to. But for the rest of the day Angelica and Cristina did little to nothing besides talk and keep the ship on course as well as keep a close eye on the two men who had begun sword fighting atop the mast. They were still at it even while the sun was setting below the horizon.

As the sky steadily grew darker, they were broken out of their conversation when they noticed Aaron climbing down the rigging. Cristina glanced at Angelica, before she looked back up to Jack who was still sitting up on the small platform of the crows-nest. "Now would be a perfect time to go talk to him" She said before leaving her so she could greet Aaron as he jumped off the rail back to the deck.  
Angelica stood for a moment before she made up her mind that she needed to do it, if not for herself than at least for him. So she went. Hand over hand, she pulled herself up the rigging all the while willing herself not to look down.  
The sky was very dark by this point, and when she reached the platform, Jack was lying flat on his back with his feet and most of his legs hanging off the edge. He didn't say anything when she assumed a similar position next to him, although she wasn't too fond it. He either was ignoring her, or waiting for her to say something. She didn't know which, but she hoped it was the second.  
"Jack?" She spoke quietly.  
He only sighed in response.  
"Jack talk to me, please" She begged, not having the strength to keep the emotion from coming through in her voice, or the tears from threatening to spill over her cheeks. "How do you know? And why the hell didn't you tell me?"  
"I have my ways and you really want to know why I didn't?" He asked coldly.  
She nodded but he was looking away from her. "I do"  
He couldn't have this conversation lying down so he sat up. "Because I remember how you were after the last time" He snapped. "You don't wear worry and sorrow well luv, those emotions don't suit you"  
She sat up as well so she could get a better look at him even though it was dark. "So you chose not to mention it?!" Anger seeping into her tone.  
"You know now, and if I could change it I would, I should have told you myself" He said. "I just thought..."  
"Thought what Jack?" She interrupted him. "That it wouldn't be relevant to me? That I might not care enough to do anything about it?" She asked sharply not waiting for any responses from him.  
"I thought it would be better..." He started.  
"Better for who exactly?" She hissed, interrupting him again.  
"I don't know" He muttered in full understanding of why she was upset, because she had every right to be. "Better for us, I suppose." He gestured between them. "They say ignorance is bliss" He let himself lay back down, face up towards the blackened sky.  
She did the same and allowed her gaze to take in the view for really the first time that night. "Ignorance is only bliss until it affects someone who cares." She said quietly.  
"Aye. Have you ever thought about your place in the universe?" He asked.  
At first she wasn't quite sure if he was serious or if he had more to say, so she waited a moment letting silence fall over them until she spoke up. "Not often, why?"  
"Because when I get the chance, not very often, I enjoy observing the stars. Or rather if I ever want to feel insignificant I can just look up on any clear night and see the beauties that are the shining stars. Pin pricks in the fabric of the night that obscures a greater source of pure magnificence and mystery behind it so that we may only catch glimpses, flickers, and tiny sparks of it before it becomes hidden in the plain sight of day." He said, and although he could hardly see her, she was just gaping at him. All of the tension produced by their harsher, raw emotions had all but faded from them both.  
She shifted a little closer to him and to her surprise, he made no effort to move away, and he said nothing. "That was very poetic Jack, I didn't know you had it in you" she said quietly.  
"I have my moments luv" He grinned. "Only for you"  
A few more minutes of silence passed with them both gazing up at the sky. She contemplated his words and his tone and wondered if he was still mad at her. Should she ask or just apologize, she didn't know what for, but if she did she figured he'd tell her.  
"Jack, I'm sorry" She whispered.  
He turned to look at her next to him. "For what darlin?"  
"I-I don't know but I don't want you to be mad at me anymore" She stuttered.  
That was not what he wanted to hear. He sat up, looked down at her and cupped her face in his hand.  
"I'm not. I never was. "He said clearly. "I suppose the stress of my current situation got the better of me and for that I truly apologize."  
She took his hand and slowly sat up next to him. "You don't need to do this alone Jack. There must be a way to save your life from what ever it is that's going to happen"  
"There's a possibility, but I don't know" he said quietly.  
"Let me help you Jack. Or at least let us be together for however long you have left" She said still gripping his hand in hers.  
"That might not be long, luv, and I don't want you to suffer any more pain than necessary"  
She chuckled humorlessly and let her head fall against his shoulder. "I would cry just as much, regret more, and feel just as lost. I think it would be worse." She lifted her head to look at him, her hands now loosely holding onto this shirt. "I would rather me be yours and you be mine for as long as you have left, than not at all"  
He blinked at her. Was he dreaming? Did he just hear her say those words to him? Was that even her sitting there next to him, looking up at him with those beautiful brown eyes? It was. It was her, and she had just said that. She cocked her head to the side obviously looking for any response, but he didn't know if there was anything he could say that would reflect his happiness to her, so he didn't speak. He kissed her instead, gently placing his lips to hers, letting his eyes slide shut so he could just enjoy this moment between them. Of course she had no objections, and she was so thankful that this kiss tasted sweeter than their last and it felt like a new beginning.  
After a moment longer, he broke it off and leaned back a bit. "I know I don't have it on me, but could ye stand up a moment?"  
She didn't want to, but she had waited all day to here what she hoped he was going to say right now, so she did so very carefully while he shifted so he was on one knee.  
He took one of her hands and looked up at her. "Now I know I'm no good at this, but I want you to know that I want us to be together for however long we both have left. I know I can never be the man you deserve, but I will do my very best, if you'll give me that chance?" He said looking up at her.  
She knew very well what he was asking, but she wanted him to say it. "What do you want Jack?" She asked softly.  
"Angelica Rosa Teach..." Her breathing hitched at the use of her full name, she didn't even think he remembered it after all this time. "...Will you marry me?"  
"Stand up Jack"  
He did as she said, a little confused. "Eh-"  
He was hardly on his feet before she hugged him tightly and turned her head up to kiss him.  
"That enough of an answer, Jack?" She questioned, burying her face into his neck.  
"Aye" He was enormously relieved, and terribly happy, he couldn't keep the grin off his face.  
She pulled away from him. "Come on" She said, inching towards the edge before starting down the rigging. She looked back up when he didn't move. "Jack, don't you dare make me wait here for you" She said playfully, but somewhat seriously. He nodded, still grinning as he too made his way down the rigging after her.  
"Hurry up Jack" She said as he stepped back onto the deck.  
"Why?"  
"We are getting married tonight, and you are asking me why?" She raised an eyebrow at him.  
"Just wait here a moment will you?" He asked. She nodded and leaned against the rail as he walked away.  
He found Aaron and Cristina below deck and quickly explained. They all came back to the deck where Angelica was still waiting.  
"Signal the Dawn to stop" Jack ordered Aaron. He nodded and did so while Jack took the wheel and adjusted the course so they were once again parallel to the other ship.  
Cristina and Angelica just watched as Jack and Aaron lowered the gangplank. Elizabeth was quick to meet them as they crossed over.  
"Are we going ahead with it then" She asked Jack who nodded. "Alright then, we found a dress for you, if you'd like?" She turned to Angelica who looked to Jack.  
"Don't look at me, you look as lovely as the day I met you, don't matter what you wear" Jack said, but it seemed like she wasn't sure. "Look, if we both survive, I promise, if you want, we can find some church somewhere an have a traditional wedding anyway you like if this ain't what you want"  
"What are we waiting for?" She asked grinning.  
Elizabeth looked between them. "Alright then, if there isn't anything else, come on"  
They gathered on the quarter deck Cristina and Aaron stood on either side of Angelica and Jack who were facing Elizabeth. Daniel stood a few steps behind Elizabeth and no body knew it, but Angie had quietly followed them and stopped at the top of the stairs.  
"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today..." Elizabeth started, speaking rather loudly and making grandiose gestures.  
Elizabeth stopped at the sound of Angelica giggling. Jack glanced at her, then back at Elizabeth, an eyebrow raised.  
"What? I've never done this before, I only remember how Barbossa did my wedding" She shrugged.  
"Go on then" Jack chuckled. "But make it quick" he added.  
"Fine, where was I? Ah, yes. We are gathered here today to witness the joining of Jack Sparrow..."  
"Captain" Jack stated.  
"Oh yes, of course. ...to witness the joining of Captain Jack Sparrow and Angelica Teach" Elizabeth continued. "Jack did you prepare your vows?"  
"No, but I didn't need to" He took Angelica's hands in his and looked right into her eyes. "Angelica, I know I can't change the past, I can't change all of the times I have hurt you, I can't change all the times I left you alone...I can't...  
"Jack..." Angelica said warningly, pleading him not to continue, but he ignored her.  
"I know there is nothing in this world I can ever do to be worthy of your forgiveness or your love, and I know I could never promise you the life you deserve. But given this chance, I would try with all my might to make you feel as happy, safe and loved as I possibly can, in sickness and in health for however long we have left. I promise to stay by your side no matter what, because I...I love you Angelica." He cupped her face and gently brushed off a tear that had spilled over her cheeks. They didn't brake eye contact for at least a minute until they heard sniffles from beside them. They looked back at Elizabeth who was wiping tears off of her face. Jack glanced around them, Aaron gave him a thumbs up and a reassuring smile while Cristina was gaping at him until she realized and schooled her features into a small grin.  
"Um-Jack do you have the rings?" Elizabeth asked drying the rest of the tears from her eyes.  
"Yes-"  
"Wait, don't I get to say anything?" Angelica asked.  
Elizabeth looked between her and Jack. "Do you have something you want to say?"  
"You don't have to" Jack said quickly.  
"Shut up Jack, you can't say something like that to me without getting something in return" Angelica said firmly. "You know me better than anyone else, and I'd like to say it goes both ways. The truth is that I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you" She paused a moment to steady her voice. "While I was staying with Elizabeth, she said something to me. She made me realize that if you hadn't come into my life, I never would have known the thrill of adventure. I wouldn't have known what it was to be free. I wouldn't have ever loved or known what it was to be loved. I wouldn't have ever known you but by your world renowned reputation, and even after everything, all of the pain we both felt, to me it was all worth it for this moment, right now, and all of the other times we will have in the future. Whatever happens, we will work through it together, for however long we have left, in sickness and in health, because I can say for certain that I love you Jack Sparrow"  
"Jack do you have the rings now?" Elizabeth asked.  
He motioned to Cristina but she shook her head.  
"I have them" said a different voice that was all too familiar. Everyone was so caught up in listening to Angelica that they hadn't even noticed her approach.  
She wasn't wearing her mask, and was dressed in the clothes Jack had first found her in. Angelica looked sharply at Jack who was shocked into silence.  
Angie handed Jack the rings, two of them gold and one silver with a small diamond.  
Jack didn't know what to do so he took them and turned back to Angelica.  
"Elizabeth?" Jack questioned.  
"Um, yes, well go on" She gestured to the rings in his hand. He nodded and carefully took Angelica's hand and gently placed the silver ring followed by the smaller of the gold rings on her finger. He handed her the other to her and offered her his hand.  
She would be damned if anything ruined this moment, she could ask him later. Right now, she took the ring and placed it on his hand. They both looked to Elizabeth who nodded. "If there are no objections, Jack, you may kiss the bride"  
They turned to each other again and after not even a second, Jack captured her lips with his in what turned out to be a very emotional kiss. They were the only thing that mattered, the clapping of their friends faded into the background, and even after braking the kiss, they were still in their own world.  
That was until some shouting grabbed Jack's attention.  
"Land Captain!" One of Elizabeth's crew shouted. They hadn't been moving, but with the darkness one of the deckhands must have not identified it as land at first.  
"So we have arrived then?" Angelica asked softly.  
"Aye, we have" Jack replied grimly.

* * *

**A/N I hope it wasn't as bad as I'm afraid it is, lol. As always, please leave a review with any critique, suggestion or question. Thank you all so much! (Unfortunately I make no promises on an ETA for the next update) **


	47. Chapter 51

**A/N Here is probably what will be the 3rd to last chapter. Sorry it's been so long since the last updaye. Anyways, please enjoy. :)**

* * *

After the ceremony, they drank, laughed and had a wonderful evening, by their standards. There was enough conversation between all of them, and no one was comfortable bringing the obvious problem up. Angelica was sitting happily on Jack's lap with her arm slung around his neck. She was content to just sit and listen to him, not wanting to have an argument at this moment, although her eyes never left Angie. Jack had an arm around her waist and was telling his convoluted tales of grand plans and past adventures to Aaron and Daniel who were listening and laughing right along with him. Elizabeth couldn't help but grin, as she was half listening to Jack, and half listening to Cristina who was casually questioning Angie, who was more than happy to share stories about the future she came from. She avoided any serious talk though, not wanting to ruin the mood.

After a while, Jack was explaining to Aaron that one should not start fires using food and alcohol if one is trapped on a deserted island. He looked to Elizabeth who chuckled, but was very quick to remind Jack that she had saved him by doing that. Jack wouldn't give her that though and instead continued playfully arguing with her over it, completely ignoring Aaron.

After losing interest in Jack's argument with Elizabeth, he looked over to Cristina who was yawning and looked as if she could hardly keep her eyes open. It was at that point he decided to call it a night. He bid them all goodnight and helped steady the drunk and tired Cristina as they walked back to the Pearl. Daniel was the next to admit that it was late, and so he too left the four of them sitting there. With it now only them, it was no longer possible to avoid the subject of Angie. Jack was curious who was going to talk first, because he knew that Angelica hadn't said more than a few words the entire time and her focus had been on Angie.

The tension in the air was thick and suffocating. Elizabeth had dropped her gaze to the deck, Jack had continued to drink from his bottle of rum, but Angelica's gaze never faltered from Angie who was now intently looking down at her hands.

After another excruciating moment, Angie decided she might as well get this over with. "Congratulations again Jack. I must say I never thought you had it in you"

With the break in the silence, both Jack and Elizabeth snapped their attention back to Angie. "Uh, er, thanks" He shifted uncomfortably, although careful not to tossle Angelica too much in his lap. They fell back into silence, only this time Angelica was more determined to get answers, because letting other people do the talking wasn't working.

She had been thinking about it all night and she couldn't come up with a plausible explanation for who this lady was. "Who are you?" She asked cursing herself for not being more tactful, but that was what as she wanted to know and she was not going to dance around the subject. She was still leaning against Jack and she noticed his heart rate seemed to increase. What ever was going on was making him anxious. She glanced at him momentarily, but he was staring intensely at Angie as if trying to communicate with his eyes. Looking back at Angie, the woman shrugged and stood abruptly.

"I'm sorry that you won't believe me even if I told you" Angie said smirking.

"Try me" Angelica demanded, raising her eyebrow as a challenge.

"Fine, I'm Ang-" She started but Jack cut her off.

"Angelina, her name is Angelina." He stated. Catching everyone off guard with that comment, even himself.

Angelica looked skeptically from Jack to 'Angeline'. Angie nodded. "Yes, I suppose it is nice to now be formally introduced. I'm Angelina, your-uh..." She stuttered, looking at Jack for assistance. He mouthed something to her and she repeated it in her mind. It could make sense she decided. "Your twin sister"

Angelica stared at her blankly. What the hell? That made sense, why hadn't she figured it out? "Nice to meet you" Angelica ground out from clenched teeth.

Elizabeth and Jack shared a concerned look, neither of them knowing what to do or say next. Luckily for them, Angelica had her own idea.

Good, thought Angie, she bought the lie, now just to keep her believing it.

"Come here" Angie held out her hand for Angelica who now looked more curious and confused. Hesitantly she took the offered hand and stood from her seat on Jack's lap.

She stood face to face with this woman who looked exactly like her. The same chocolate eyes, the same curly hair. She looked her up and down, they were exactly the same. She had so many questions, but to start with she had one in particular. Turning swiftly, she looked to Jack who had been admiring the view of both of them standing there. "What the hell Jack?!" She snapped

"Sorry, I don't follow" He said not wanting to answer her. He hated it. He hated lying to her, but he had to keep reminding himself that he didn't have a choice.

"You know exactly what I mean! How could you not tell me?!"She hissed.

He sighed, set down his bottle of rum on the deck, before standing to face her. "Now hold up a minute" He said, needing to buy himself time so he could come up with a good reason. "Trust me I wanted to tell you, but yer sister insisted that I not."

Angie came around to stand nearer to Jack. "We wanted it to be a surprise for your wedding."

"Surprise" Jack said grinning weakly hoping it was enough to convince her. Angelica just looked between them before a wide smile graced her features. In a second she flung her arms around Jack and left a kiss on his cheek. To say the least he was quite surprised, but he smiled and hugged her back non the less.

When she let go, she looked back at the woman who was supposedly her sister and grinned. "I'm glad you could be here and that I had a chance to meet you"

"Trust me, the pleasure is all mine. I'm so happy for you" Angie said, her eyes flicking to Jack for a brief moment before returning to Angelica.

"I have so many questions, you must tell me all about your life" Angelica sounded so excited. At least, more so than she had been in a long time. It hurt him that he could do this to her so easily, that she had placed her trust in him and it was so easy to manipulate. Not that that was his goal, but even his good intentions always had painful backslashes.

"I'm sure yer questions can wait until tomorrow, because we have a long day ahead of us, we best get some sleep before we leave" Jack said as kindly as possible. Angelica nodded and took his hand ready to walk back over to the Pearl with him.

Noticing this, he released her hand. "You go ahead luv, I'll be there in a minute. I have to adjust the course and such"

"Don't be long" She added before leaving Jack, Elizabeth, and Angie staring after her.

"That was brilliant Jack!" Angie exclaimed.

He rolled his eyes. It sure didn't feel brilliant. "Oh sure, bloody brilliant" He grumbled.

"Think about it. She isn't upset with you. You just got married, and now you're so close to finding this treasure that will make you unstoppable. What could possibly be wrong now?!" Angie stated slightly annoyed by how Jack was suddenly listening to his conscience.

"If it's so great, why do I feel so awful for lying to her, again? She trusts me, and what have I done?!" Jack growled.

"She thinks I'm her sister, not herself from the future. So when I-uh, when we make sure everything goes according to plan it will make sense and probably save her some emotional stress." Angie explained.

"I have to agree with her on this, maybe it's better." Elizabeth agreed. "Everything will be fine now go be with your wife"

Jack nodded solemnly and headed back over to the Pearl.

Elizabeth and Angie swiftly went to bed as soon as they saw Jack disappear to his ship.

Jack closed the door silently behind him. Angelica was laying in their bed with the had the blankets pulled around her. He undressed till he was wearing nothing more than his breeches. He crawled into the bed next to her, wrapping his arms around her, pulling her closer. He was asleep in minutes.

They awoke early the next morning and prepared for the day ahead of them. When they were all ready to go, all six of them took a long boat to shore. They hiked for what seemed like days, not stopping but every few hours for short breaks. Every so often they would check the map and take note of any significant landmarks. Most of the trip was spent in comfortable silence. Occasionally Angelica would ask Angie a question, but more often than not, the answer she got was hardly satisfactory and would lead to another question only a few minutes later.

By the time was low in the sky, they came upon a cave of sorts. Jack decided they would stay the night outside and venture further when they had the morning light. They set up a fire, but without knowing anything about this island, they kept their noise levels to a minimum and turned in early so they could continue again when they were better rested. Jack took the first watch over the camp while everyone else was supposed to be sleeping.

Angelica used Jack's leg as a pillow seemed to fall asleep quickly. After a while of no company, and watching the light of their dim fire bounce off the trees, Jack could barely keep his eyes open. He nudged Daniel who was to take over for him. As soon as he was sure Daniel was awake, he carefully shifted himself out from underneath Angelica and laid down next to her. The last thought Jack had before sleep took him, was of how Angelica had subconsciously snuggled closer to him.

Only a few hours later, they were all up again and walking into the cave. They had torches, but Angelica still clung to Jack's arm as they walked along. It was so reminiscent of the cave that lead to the fountain of youth that it scared her. She had lost someone she cared dearly for on that expedition, she had no intention of letting it happen again.

The air was thick and humid. Their torches were burning low, and it seemed unlikely they would find anything. The cave got narrower, so much so that they were walking single file, their shoulders often brushing against the walls. One by one, their torches died completely, leaving them in the pitch black darkness of the cave. Angie decided they should all take a break before continuing any further, since she was the one leading the way. Jack had no idea what time it was anymore, no idea how long they had been in there.

"Everyone alright back there?" He shouted back to the rest of the group.

Daniel who was taking up the rear was the first to respond. "Aye, I'm all good back here Sparrow"

"Cristina and I are fine, Sir" Aaron said from his place in between Cristina and Daniel.

"I'm a bit warm and it's warm as hell in here, but I'm alive" Elizabeth huffed from behind Angelica.

"Good, we'll continue in a moment" Jack said so they could all hear him. "What about you, luv. How you holdin up?" He asked quietly to Angelica who was right behind him.

She didn't answer, but Jack felt her rest her head on his shoulder.

"Darlin, you have to answer me, I can't see you, and I can't help you if I don't know what's wrong." He said gently rubbing her back in a soothing motion. He felt her take a shaky breath before mumbling something he couldn't hear. "What is it, what's wrong?" He asked again.

"I-I don't feel good. The dark a-and the space is s-so small...I don't want to die in here" She said hesitantly.

"Take a deep breath luv, we will be out of here in no time" He felt carefully for her face and left a kiss on her forehead. "We'll be alright, you ready to get out of here?"

"Yeah" she answered. He squeezed her hand quickly before letting go and continuing to walk behind Angie through the narrow cave. Their walk was slow and Angie was only using her hands to feel the rocks in front of her. They were mostly silent, on guard and afraid of what could be lurking in the blackness. Occasionally Angelica was close enough behind Jack that he could hear her still trying to control her breathing, and once in a while, he could hear someone further back muttering curses for tripping or bumping into the person ahead of them. It seemed like it was going to go on forever, trapping them in this black oblivion, but just as Jack was contemplating that thought he stopped without warning after bumping into Angie.

"Oi, stop a moment" Angie hissed then leaned her head back slightly. "Jack, do you see that?"

"I think so" Jack responded.

"See what? It's too dark in here to see anything" Angelica said a little out of breath. "I think I see something, a light maybe" He said. "Stay here we'll be right back"

Before anyone could respond or protest, they walked away.

Angelica noticed Jack's absence immediately even though she couldn't see him. It had gotten cooler in there and she missed the heat that was radiating off Jack. It was comforting and she hadn't even noticed while he was there, but as soon as he left it was unmistakable that she missed it.

They were walking away, still forced to feel with theirs hands and feet the terrain in front of and around them. Now the speck of light they saw in the distance got brighter, they were getting closer. As they did so, they picked up their pace ever so slightly, but that was enough to have Jack hit his head on the wall of the cave as the direction of the cave took a sharp turn. He cursed to himself before turning to face the way of the continued tunnel. The light was so much brighter and he could have sworn he could see that the end let out into a much larger cavern. He quickened his pace again to catch up to Angie, now that he could see better.

When he finally approached the entrance to the cavern, he heard voices. He took a step into the cavern behind her, giving his eyes a moment to adjust before taking a glance around.

For being underground, there was a lot of light. He chanced a look up only to see how big the cavern actually was. It was like he was standing inside of a volcano, with the light entering from the large hole in the ceiling.

Angelica didn't know how long they had been standing there, but Jack had told them to wait for him to get back.

"Elizabeth should we try to go after them? Angelica asked tentatively.

"Not yet, he said to wait, let's give them a minute." Elizabeth answered calmly.

In the distance, a shot rang off and echoed through the dark caves. Then silence. Then another followed in quick succession, leaving them all stunned.


	48. The end

**A/N I'm sorry for the extreme delay in the posting of this finale. This is the final chapter, and although I'm not happy with it, I hope the ending is satisfactory. Please enjoy and feel free to leave comments! Happy Holidays!**

They all jumped at the shots, but we're silent in the moments after to listen for anything else. Elizabeth immediately regretted her decision to wait. They didn't have time for that anymore. "Forget what I said, we need to go. Now!" She commanded.

Angelica couldn't agree more. They took off as fast as they could under the circumstances, careful not to run into anything.

A few moments ago, Jack and Angie had just walked carefully into this large cavern. The voices they heard had diminished into silence as if they knew they were there.

Jack and Angie looked around to determine who these people were, what they were doing, and where they were at. Angie knew full well who they were, but if they wanted to maintain the element of surprise, she couldn't inform Jack. Things happened differently than she remembered and it was slowly unnerving her.

She motioned for Jack to follow her around further, trying to get an idea of the terrain, and to find those people, but paused when they came into view.

As Jack came to stand next to her, she nodded in the direction of where the people were standing. Jack narrowed his eyes. Jack pulled out his pistol and looked to Angie. She nodded, thinking she understood what Jack was thinking. She walked around to the other side of the people, who were still unaware of their presence. There were four men and a lady. Jack recognized two of the men as well as the woman, but he had to assume the other two were just back up for whoever was in charge here.

Jack motioned to Angie who had been watching him intently from across the cavern. She nodded and stepped out into the open. "Hello gentlemen," she said seductively as she approached the people. Everyone turned their attention to her as she came towards them. Jack, now behind them, stepped up and shot the two men he didn't recognize. They fell to the ground with a heavy thud.

His gun still raised, he continued approaching the remaining people as Angie pulled out her gun as well.

"Ricardo, I should have known I wouldn't have seen the last of you." Jack sneered at the one man before turning to the other who seemed to be in some sort of trance. "Will? What are ya doing?!" Jack waved his hand in front of his face, but Will didn't answer. Angie didn't bother to check the woman, whom she knew was Tia Dalma or Calypso because she knew that she was under the same trance as Will.

"Angie what's wrong with them?" Jack asked, but he gritted his teeth when he heard Ricardo chuckling in a way Jack found most disturbing. He turned on him quickly and poked him with the barrel of his gun. "Shut up! I didn't ask you!"

Ricardo put his hands up in surrender, but he was still grinning.

"They're under the influence of the treasure," Angie said finally.

"So what? Can't we just turn it off or something?" This was too much for him.

"No, that's not how it works Jack. I control them and they won't stop until I tell them to" Ricardo said.

"Well, then how bout you hand over the treasure or I'll kill you" Jack snapped.

"If you say so?" Ricardo shrugged nonchalantly and extended his hand out holding the glowing sphere for Jack to take.

"Jack no. You can't control it. You don't have the second piece." Angie warned, but it was too late, Jack already had the sphere in his hands. Ricardo laughed maniacally.

Jack's eyes were focused on the sphere and he couldn't hear all the voices yelling at him. It was beautiful. It was perfect. Maybe this was all he needed to be happy. His vision was blurred and tinted black, making the glowing sphere look even more beautiful to him, and he couldn't look away, not because he couldn't, but because he didn't want to, ever.

Unbeknownst to Jack, Angelica and Elizabeth and the rest of them had found their way into the cavern. Will and Tia had been broken out of their trance as soon as Jack took possession of the treasure.

"Let me go!" Angie was holding Angelica back from running over to Jack. Will and Tia were trying furiously to get everyone away from Jack, but none of them wanted to listen.

"He must not see any of you when he comes too," Tia said gravely in her eccentric accent.

"Leave now!" Will demanded, but Elizabeth wouldn't let him go. "You must trust me! Jack will get you all killed and he will use us to do it! Go back the way you came"

"No, Jack wouldn't!" Angelica was adamant. Jack wouldn't hurt her. Not physically and definitely not intentionally.

"Maybe not intentionally, but believe me, he would," Will said. "You, get her out of here" Will shouted to Angie. He didn't even let himself think about how there were two of them, but it didn't matter. Angie tried with everything she had to get Angelica to leave with Elizabeth, but she wouldn't budge. She wasn't leaving without Jack.

"Aaron, watch her! Make sure she doesn't do anything stupid." She remembered that Ricardo still had to be dealt with. She ran all over the cavern, but he wasn't there. She looked a few steps into the passage that lead them there only to be met with a blade she recognized all too well.

"Barbossa!" She exclaimed.

"Afternoon, Ms. Teach" He snarled. Forcing her to back up by continuously prodding her with the tip of the sword. She raised her hands in defeat and backed up into the cavern.

"How did you get here anyways?" She asked. He smirked and held up Jack's compass in his other hand.

"Sorry Angie" Came Gibbs' voice from behind the one legged man.

"How-"

"We found im while we was out followin Jack after he ditched us at Tortuga" Barbossa answered.

"You made it way too easy" Angie taunted.

"You weren't even...oh...so that was you Jack was gettin all protective over. Now that makes a lot more sense" He recalled.

"Why are you even here?!"

"The treasure. It be in the best interest of us all if it were to be destroyed" He said.

"Really, don't you just want it to yourself?" Angie was no stranger to Barbossa's malevolent ways and how evil that man could really be.

"Nay, as tempting as it be, fret not." He smirked. "You really should be thanking me. It's very fortuitous for you that I showed up here"

"And why is that?" Angie raised her eyebrow at him.

"Because I caught that weasel you undoubtedly were trying to find" He explained. "He's being hauled off to me ship right now"

A shout from across the cavern broke them out of their conversation. Angelica had been non-stop calling out to Jack, but until then Aaron had been holding her back. She stepped down hard in his foot making him let her go and in that instant she bolted up to Jack. When she got closer she noticed what he was doing. She just watched him completely transfixed by the sphere for a moment, but she jumped when she felt a presence behind her.

"You care for him deeply," Tia Dalma said. "Dat is why you must go, go away from here and wait for him. He will come"

"But-I don't want to leave him" Angelica muttered.

"You would do anythin for this man. You already did more than most." Tia continued. "You subjected yourself to torment when you relived his death, you forgave him when he may have hurt you the most, and you trusted him enough to marry him, but now you need to step back" Angelica shot her a concerned glance. "Let others help him now, so he can go home to you"

"But I-Jack?" She stopped when he snapped his eyes up to meet hers. It wasn't him. His eyes were black and cold. Unseeing and soulless. She couldn't move. She has never been so afraid of anything in her entire life than right now, seeing Jack look at her in that way.

_Why must everyone always ruin everything for me, he wondered. And why must they always be yelling, can't they ever just shut up and give me a moment's peace. Just one moment. Can't they just leave me alone, can't they see that it's what I want? Do I have to spell it out to them?_

"Jack!"

Who said that?

"Jack"

_She did. She's trying to stop you from leaving. She's trying to keep you from what makes you happy_. He heard a voice in his head say.

He didn't want to look away, but the woman who was yelling really needed to be quiet. /

"Jack"

_Damn it. Damn it all._

"You need to go...let others help him" This wasn't the same voice. This was someone else. It was muffled and held a heavy accent. It wasn't as sweet as the other nor did it have the same sense of urgency.

"But..." There was the other one. The one who couldn't stop yelling for him. He looked up. Oh. It was her. The one who caused him so much pain over the years. She was his great conundrum and it was infuriating.

Painful memories flashed before his eyes of the woman in front of him, of yelling and swordfights, of arguing and pain, of blood and betrayal, and of curses and death.

He didn't move towards her, he wasn't sure he wanted to. This woman was trouble. A dangerous, wicked, seductress and she would kill him given the chance.

_That already happened. She already did kill you. She's an untrustworthy she-devil!/_

_He hadn't even realized, but he was drawing his sword as he stepped towards her._

_He noticed her eyes widen in fear as she backed away slowly. /Good. She should be afraid. After all she's done to you, make her pay! _The voice said.

"Jack?!" Angelica cried.

He heard her voice but not the words she said. In his head, he heard all that she had said to him before. _I hate you_ he heard her say. _I should have left you dead_ She continued.

"Jack stop!" Will yelled as he stepped in between him and Angelica, momentarily catching him off guard.

"Shut it" Jack snapped and Will immediately straightened up and closed his mouth, his eyes becoming dark and unfocused. Angelica took this chance to jump out of Jack's view.

"Will!" Yelled Elizabeth as she tried to run towards him. Jack looked to her and she stopped dead in her tracks.

/She killed you too! But it was worse. She had kissed you and left you to the Kraken. She needs to pay/

"You-" Jack growled. "Take care of her!" Will pulled out his sword and advanced on Elizabeth while Jack tried desperately to focus on the other voice. _Jack,_ she had called for him over and over but where was she now?

Jack looked back at the sphere in his hand, he wondered what he could really do with it, to really see what he could do, he needed to get back to the ocean, he thought, but he knew he would never get there with all these idiots running around trying to stop him. "Calypso-lightning if you please" He demanded. Tia succumbed to the will of the treasure and sure enough, through the opening ceiling of the cavern perfect bolts of lightning struck the ground around them, the sound echoing off the walls.

Everything became silent.

Angie and Barbossa had more or less been watching from a distance. Will had captured Elizabeth and had forced her roughly to her knees, and Tia had used some power to prevent Angelica from running. Jack made his way gingerly to the exit of the cave intent on leaving all of these people who had damaged him so badly to rot here forever.

"He can't be allowed to leave" Angie stated.

"Aye, I've been waiting a long time to do this, do forgive me" He raised a pistol and trained it on Jack who had yet to pay them any attention, apparently content that if they posed no threat of stopping him from leaving, he would leave them be.

Angie tugged on Barbossa arm. "You can't I won't let you shoot him!" She shouted gaining Jack's attention for the first time.

He was confused. He thought he'd already taken care of her. What was she still doing making noise and distracting him?

He didn't have time for this, he needed to get outside. Without a second thought, he saw them and all of the pain those two represented in his life and knew there was only one thing to do now. Get rid of them for good.

_What had they ever done for you? Only cause you pain, and suffering and death. They deserve nothing less!_

Instead of his sword, this time, he gripped his pistol and raised it level with Barbossa. _He needs to go first!_

Angie just watched the staredown between the two men and she knew Barbossa was going to shoot first.

"Don't!" She yelled as she stepped in front of Barbossa's gun just he pulled the trigger and so did Jack.

Jack dropped the gun as he watched the woman fall to her knees. Crimson seeping through the back of her shirt.

_You loved her! All of those years! She saved your life!_ he heard a different voice now and new images flashed across his mind. Memories of kisses, of walks on the beach, of sunsets and stars, of smiles and laughs, of her eyes, of the way she used to look at him. The sphere fell from his hand and everything became clearer again. The world was no longer tinted black, but now all he could see was red. All over his hands and on his clothes.

The other man had tried to help her, but Jack viciously pushed him away. He hadn't even remembered coming to her side, but now he was trying desperately to stop the bleeding, but to no avail as she was wounded in the front of her chest and on her back and there was nothing he could do.

"Jack-" Angie coughed, blood spilling from her mouth. "I'm - sorry"

He shook his head furiously and cupped her cheek with his hand forcing her to look up at him. "Shh, it's okay luv" He whispered.

"Jack - I - she loves you - now you can - be together" Angie strained to say just loud enough for him to hear.

"Why - what were you thinking!?" He asked more to himself than to her.

"I missed you - and I'm grateful to - have gotten the chance to- get to know you -again- you're a good man Jack - promise you won't ever leave her" she spoke so lightly, and he could see she was hanging on until he gave her an answer and who was he to deny a dying woman anything, especially this woman.

"I promise luv, I'll never leave her" He swore, and he meant every word. She tried to smile up at him but it looked more like a grimace, but he kept his eyes locked on hers as she breathed her last breath and her eyes closed for the last time.

He hadn't even realized he had been crying until he tasted the salty tears that ran down his face.

"Sparrow I-" Barbossa had started but upon seeing the red-eyed glare he received from Jack he silenced himself and stepped away.

Will had regained control of himself and helped Elizabeth to her feet and kissed her softly. Tia released Angelica, who instantly ran over to where Jack was crouched over her dead 'sister'. There was blood everywhere.

"Jack is she-?" She said softly resting a hand on his shoulder, but he ignored her.

"Back away," He said lowly, not looking up at her. "You don't want to see her like this"

"Jack are you okay?!" She wanted to make sure he wasn't injured as well before she would even think about letting herself deal with what happened.

He couldn't listen to her. He had just witnessed the death of the one woman he ever loved, and yet fate had been cruel to him, because now he had to exist every day with that same woman who was lying in his arms covered in blood, every day for the rest of his life, and every time he looked at her he would be reminded of the sight in front of him now and how he would never be able to save her no matter the love he still felt for her. It was all his fault.

"We need to get back to the ship," Jack said monotonously as he stood, clutching the dead woman in his arms. The rest of them followed him in silence. Jack didn't feel anything anymore. He didn't stop until he reached the ship. He had walked all day and all night. When he reached the ship he placed Angie's body on the bed of the first mate's cabin and placed a sheet over her. He trudged to his own cabin collapsed on his bed and cried like a child, not even caring anymore. The pain he felt now compared to nothing he'd ever felt before, except that one time. The time he had found Chloe at her little farmhouse in England. But even that didn't compare to how he felt right now. He had watched the life leave Angelica's eyes. He felt her go limp in his arms and yet he was still able to hear her voice, and he would be tortured by it every day. He should have been able to save her. How could he have let that happen?

He hadn't even bothered the change out of his bloodied clothes before he laid down. The tears streamed down his face until he fell asleep. The fatigue from the journey back, and everything that had happened finally catching up to him.

When he awoke, he felt the presence of another person. Their arm was wrapped around his waist. He opened his eyes slowly and glanced over his shoulder at the woman beside him. He jumped up as fast as possible. He had to get away. She was supposed to be dead. He could still see the blood on his hands. Her blood was on his hands. But it wasn't anymore, it wasn't on his hands or on his clothes. She must have changed his clothes for him while he slept. He wondered how long he had been asleep.

Now she was sitting up and just looking at him concern written all over her beautifully haunting features.

For a moment he thought he could see blood on her face, but he quickly blinked that image away.

"Jack are you alright?" She asked softly coming to stand in front of him and wrapping her arms around him, but he pushed her away and stepped back completely horrified.

"No - no I'm not okay - " He stammered. "Don't come near me"

She nodded and backed away from him.

"Jack if you need some time, I can go," She said softly making her way towards the door until Jack shook his head.

"No, it's okay. I need some air anyways" And with that, he quickly left shutting the door behind him.

It was still early in the morning and the cool air burned his lungs, but it was a pleasant relief that he recognized this feeling and it comforted him.

The Pearl was out on the open seas again. He wondered when they left, he didn't remember. The other ships were nowhere to be seen and he had no idea where they were going.

This nightmare needed to be over, and he knew the only thing he could do to make it happen.

"Where is he?" He asked when he sensed the presence of another person behind him.

"Who?" Angelica asked quietly.

It had been two weeks since Jack had gotten Ricardo to free Will. Two weeks since Jack killed him and dumped his body over the side of the ship. Two weeks since they buried her 'sister' at sea. Two weeks since they left that island. Two weeks since they had said farewell to Elizabeth and Will, to Cristina and Aaron, and to Barbossa.

Angelica had forced Jack to let her take over his duties. He was a mess. Every night having nightmares and waking up traumatized by the events two weeks ago. She needed to fix this now.

"Jack, you killed him already. He's gone" She said as she came to stand beside him, taking his hand in hers. He looked at her for the first real time in what seemed like years but was only days. She looked tired, exhausted even, and thinner than he remembered. Her hair was disheveled and she had dark circles under her eyes. When did she stop taking care of herself? He had to snap out of this. He promised he wouldn't leave her, and even though he was physically there, mentally he was still on that island. He knew he needed to fix it. He needed to see her eyes light up when she looked at him. He needed to hear her laugh again. It should be him taking care of her, not the other way around.

"When was the last time you ate?" He asked, his voice rough from lack of use.

She seemed surprised. "Um, lunch yesterday"

"That won't do - that won't do at all" He muttered. "Come on, you have to take care of yourself" He tried to pull her along down to the galley, but she didn't budge.

"Later, Jack, I need to take care of you, are you feeling alright?" She held her hand to his forehead, but he was his normal temperature.

He pulled her hand away from his head and cupped her cheek in his own so she would look up at him with her dazzling brown eyes.

"You've done quite enough of that darlin," He said gently. "Let's go back to bed for a few hours," He said as he slung his arm around her shoulders and walked them back into the cabin and laid down. She had her back to him and it felt so good to be held by him again. She missed it. She felt his voice rumbled through his chest. "I want you to decide where you want to stop first, I think a world tour is in order, don't you agree, now I'm thinking Paris or Rome, what do you think?" He asked, his arms tightening around her, and his eyes falling shut. She could barely focus on his words when she was still cherishing the feeling of him almost back to normal. "mhmm" was the only answer he got because soon after, she fell back to sleep for the best few hours of sleep she had gotten in a long time. And just as Jack promised, they spent the next weeks in each other's perfect company, celebrating their marriage now that they had the chance. They traveled to Rome first and then they stopped in Spain where they visited Cristina and Aaron before they made the journey to Port Royal to see Will and Elizabeth.

No matter where they were, Jack managed to keep his word and he never left Angelica's side, and she couldn't have been happier. As much as he enjoyed it, he had cut back on his drinking, never wanting to fall back into the pit of despair he had fallen into after those fateful days that changed who he was forever. He never forgot what happened, but he knew he still had his life because of it, and that made it all the more important to him to keep himself and his wife safe and happy as long as he could, all the while knowing he wouldn't be able to forever. For now, though, things were perfect for him, he had his ship, he had the love of his life by his side, and they were free from everything.


End file.
